Rivian unveils R2, a smaller electric SUV for $45,000
A trifecta of announcements from electric car maker Rivian – at a critical time.
The startup recently cut jobs and saw its stock fall to its lowest price yet.
“They’re sort of in the EV valley of death, if you will, where their production costs and their demand aren’t meeting each other. They can’t make those things meet at this point,” explained Abigail Bassett, a freelance journalist covering the company’s launch event in Laguna Beach.
First up: Rivian unveiled a smaller SUV called the R2.
It has 5 seats and is expected to go over 300 miles on a charge.
One neat feature: both rows fold completely flat, which they said is handy for camping with a mattress inside the car or just extra storage.
The EV also has 11 cameras and 5 radar sensors for driver assistance.
The starting price for the R2 is “around” $45,000.
“We wanted to build off of what was great about R1, but offer it at something at a much more affordable price point so we can get more people into the brand,” said Rivian Chief Designer, Jeff Hammoud.
One key change – the R2 will come equipped with Tesla’s charging port, called NACS, which will allow it to directly tap into the supercharger network without an adapter.
“Tesla has obviously got a very amazing charging network, and being able to utilize that is going to help not only Rivian but all the other brands that have signed up to do that,” said Hammoud.
The automaker still managed to pull off a surprise in a world of online leaks.
Amid audible gasps from the audience in the Rivian South Coast Theater, the company drove an R3 midsize crossover onto the stage. Although they were light on details, this is expected to be Rivian’s most affordable car yet. It’s built on the same platform as the R2.
They also showed off a performance version called the R3X.
“I think for the folks that want a cool electric car, there are options now. And I think this is going to be one of those many, many options,” said YouTuber Jon Rettinger who was in attendance.
He currently has two Rivian’s.
“I love it. I’ve got 30,000 miles on my R1T, the truck. My wife has the R1S, about 20,000. I’ve had mine for two years, she had hers for a year and a half. It’s been perfect,” said Rettinger.
One theme throughout the entire presentation – Rivian’s are built to instill a sense of adventure.
“Every decision, the interior, the package, the powertrain, the efficiencies designed to create amazing experiences to really drive massive adoption of electric vehicles,” said Rivian CEO RJ RJ Scaringe.
“We’re at such a critical juncture, we do have to electrify the world. And, you know, how lucky are we to be in the middle of that, where we can help drive that change?” concluded Scaringe.
You can place a refundable $100 reservation for the R2 right now with deliveries are expected in the first half of 2026. Rivian says the R3 and R3X will be delivered sometime after that.
Rivian says they expect to ramp up their Normal, IL plant to build more than 200,000 cars a year.
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