Given what has been going on the past couple of years i've been hearing antidotally speaking from friends and family, I think it is people just can't afford things like they once did.
I think part of the issue is maybe car companies think people want to buy something that looks different because its an EV? When they actually want something that is similar to an ICE product design wise? I know the old frying pan Prius was styled like that to draw attention to it. I'm not a fan of Telsa's minimalistic way of styling...its very generic and reminds me of Ikea furniture.
The Mach E and Hyundai/Kia EV products are good examples of EV styling that doesn't stray too far from ICE products. The lack of the need for a grill can make EV's look like someone who has their eyebrows shaved off. But to put a "fake" or something stylistically similar to a grill can fix that and not screw up aero on them.
Changing soft items like headlights or bumpers is a lot cheaper then making new stampings or having to retest crash cells if there is a major change to the passenger compartment.
Not meaning to disparage the 3-row BEV, Ford was trying to offer a nicer looking than Tesla X competitor,
the market was expecting more like an Explorer/Aviator like 3-row BEV…was the Rivian a missed opportunity?