Rivian is making a bold bet on autonomy—and it’s very different from Tesla’s approach. In this episode of MotorTrend’s The Inevitable, Jonny Lieberman and Ed Loh sit down with James Philbin, Rivian’s VP of Autonomy & AI, following Rivian’s Autonomy & AI Day. Midway through the conversation, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe joins unexpectedly to dive deep into LiDAR, sensor strategy, and why Rivian believes more data—and better data—wins.

Topics include:

• Universal Hands-Free driving across 3.5M+ miles of roads

• Rivian’s Large Driving Model (LDM) and AI-defined vehicles

• Why Rivian chose cameras + radar + LiDAR

• The roadmap from hands-free to eyes-off driving • Personal Level 4 autonomy vs robotaxis

• Ground-truth fleets, edge cases, and safety at scale

• How autonomy could fundamentally change car ownership

This is one of the most technical, candid, and forward-looking autonomy conversations we’ve had—and a rare look inside how a modern automaker is building an advanced driving system from the ground up.

In this episode of MotorTrend’s The Inevitable, hosts dive deep with Chris Benjamin, Chief Design Officer at Scout Motors, to explore his remarkable journey—from growing up in Queens and Miami, to working nights at Taco Bell while designing for Mercedes, to leading the rebirth of one of America’s most iconic off-road brands.

Chris reveals how the new Scout SUV and truck were designed, what he changed the moment he arrived, how Scout differs from Rivian and Jeep, what the EV vs. range-extender split looks like, and what the future holds for Scout Motors.

Expect raw career stories, hilarious behind-the-scenes moments, and real talk about design, automotive culture, EV adoption, and off-roading.

In this episode of The InEVitable by MotorTrend, hosts Jonny Lieberman and Ed Loh sit down with Marques McCammon, President of Karma Automotive, to talk about the company’s reboot, its American-made ultra-luxury vision, and why the future isn’t fully electric—it’s EREV.

Marques traces his incredible career from creating the Dodge Neon SRT-4 to pivotal roles at ASC, Saleen, Aptera, Wind River, Ricardo, and ultimately Karma.

He reveals what he found when he arrived at Karma, why he shut everything down to rebuild quality and identity, and how Karma’s new vehicles—including the upcoming Sera, Amaris, Isvara, and the four-motor Kaveya supercar—aim to blend emotional design, handcrafted luxury, and range-extended electric performance. Karma’s goal? To become America’s counterpart to Aston, McLaren, and Ferrari, built in Southern California with an experience-centered philosophy.

Featuring deep cut industry stories—from SRT beginnings to Aptera’s shutdown to why EREV is primed for a comeback—this is one of the most wide-ranging and insightful conversations we’ve had.