Days after volume production of the R2 got underway, CEO RJ Scaringe told Reuters that Rivian $RIVN has additional, unannounced versions of the electric SUV in development.
CEO RJ Scaringe said the Georgia plant's flexibility allows for different R2 configurations, but declined to reveal details
Credit: Rivian
Days after volume production of the R2 got underway, CEO RJ Scaringe told Reuters that Rivian $RIVN has additional, unannounced versions of the electric SUV in development.
"There are other variants of R2, which we haven't shown," Scaringe said, when asked about a possible pickup version. He declined to provide specifics. "I want to be careful not to announce the program," he said.
Asked about a performance variant, Scaringe pointed to the existing R3X — a performance version of the smaller R3 crossover — as a precedent. "So clearly there could be an R2X," he said. "There's going to be combinations."
Scaringe said the forthcoming Georgia assembly plant, where Rivian plans to expand R2 production, would support the additional configurations. "What we're building in Georgia allows for different variations," he said.
Rivian began building R2 vehicles at its Normal, Illinois, facility earlier this year, with initial deliveries going to employees. External customer deliveries are expected around June. Early buyers will pay $58,000 for the launch-package trim, with lower-priced options set to arrive through the rest of this year and into 2027. The most affordable entry point — around $45,000 and offering more than 275 miles of range — is slated for late 2027.
In March, Rivian announced multiple trims of the R2 SUV. The company's full-year guidance calls for deliveries of 62,000 to 67,000 vehicles, with the R2 accounting for roughly 22,000 to 23,000 of those.
The automaker built its early identity around the premium R1T pickup and R1S SUV — each carrying a price tag above $70,000 — and has since pursued the lower-cost R2 platform as its primary vehicle for reaching a wider audience and strengthening its financial performance. The company has also announced the R3 crossover and R3X performance variant under the same mid-size platform.
Under a $1.25 billion agreement between Rivian and Uber $UBER, the ride-hailing giant has committed to putting 10,000 fully autonomous R2s on the road beginning in 2028, making the model a linchpin of that robotaxi partnership.
The Georgia plant, whose opening production capacity was raised to 300,000 units per year, is targeted to produce its first vehicles in late 2027. Rivian has said it will also serve as the home for the R3.
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