Rivian has delayed the arrival of the $45,000 version of its upcoming electric SUV, R2, which company officials say will be crucial to its long-term future as a viable automaker.
The Irvine, California-based company says in a post on its website that the $45,000 version of the electric SUV it intends to be its most affordable model will now be released in 2027. The company said it will begin releasing more expensive versions of the vehicle in the first half of 2026.
The news comes as Rivian announced in an X post on May 15 that the configurator for the R2 is live on its website and visitors there can now “explore paint colors, interior wheels and more” as it prepares to launch the new vehicle.
What to Know About the R2
The least expensive version of the R2 is expected to start around $45,000 and be released in 2027.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said in a Jan. 29 appearance on the “On with Kara Swisher” podcast that the R2 is important to his company’s plans to scale up into becoming a mass market electric vehicle producer.
“Rivian isn’t being designed just for R1,” Scaringe said. “If the goal is to build a company that’s only going to make 15,000 cars a year, it would look very different as a business. But we’ve really invested in the business, contemplating and planning for Rivian to be a much larger company. And so because of that, R2 does need to be successful to support the rate of capital construction of the business because of how much tech we’re developing and how much infrastructure we’re building.”
What Are People Saying About the R2?
Car and Driver said in a review of the R2 prototype it test drove that the EV was “powered by a permanent-magnet electric motor on each axle with a combined output of 656 horsepower and 609 pound-feet of torque.”
“The ride is a bit more refined than the R1S, because the tires don’t have to run at as high a pressure to support the mass, plus the lower body height lessens your perception of how much the vehicle rolls in corners,” the website said. “And yes, it does go around corners.”
In a review posted after doing its own test drive of the R2 prototype, the website InsideEVs.com said the electric SUV “packs more than 300 miles of range, 656 horsepower, 609 lb-ft of torque, and a 0 to 60 mph time of 3.6 seconds.”
“That’s some serious heat for a family-friendly SUV that’s not only positioned against the ubiquitous Tesla Model Y but also potentially against mainstream gas-powered crossovers,” the website said.
Reporting by Keith Laing, USA TODAY / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
