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Rivian Motors has officially begun customer production of the long-awaited R2, its mid-size all-electric SUV. Originally revealed in March 2024, it has taken two years and reportedly “thousands of hands” before the first R2 rolled off the production line yesterday at Rivian’s Normal, Illinois plant.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said the company was “on track” to deliver the first of its five-seater EVs later this spring. In a post on LinkedIn, he said:
“We are really excited to be producing R2 for our customers. The vehicle is incredible—it’s the result of all the hard work and dedication of the Rivian team. I can’t wait for customers to experience R2!”
Until now, Rivian has positioned itself as a luxury EV maker, producing premium SUVs with equally premium price tags—the R1S Quad currently retails for just over $200,000. The R2, however, tells a different story, branded by Rivian as its first mass-market consumer vehicle. If Rivian is able to roll out its R2s with few quality hiccups, the transition could elevate the company from a niche brand to a household name.
Rivian Chief Operations Officer Javier Varela emphasised the importance of quality and production efficiency, he said:
“Building R2 represents a major advance in engineering excellence and manufacturing efficiency, driving meaningful improvements in cost and quality that position Rivian as a leader in the future of transportation. We are grateful to every member of our team who has brought this vehicle to life, and we are thrilled to begin sharing it with the world.”
The R2 has undergone an extensive series of rigorous tests, from winter trials in the Alaskan tundra to endurance testing in the sweltering heat of the Arizona desert. However, the vehicles will still need to undergo a series of quality and validation checks before any keys exchange hands. That said, the company has remained bullish on its late-spring timeline.
Rivian has identified mainland Europe—and eventually the UK—as key focal points for its next phase of expansion, with plans to deliver R2 models in both regions by 2027 and 2028, respectively.
The group’s expansion is contingent on the success of the R2, which Scaringe has suggested will provide the financial backing to develop and produce the R3 and R4. Speaking in an interview to MOVEmnt.net RJ stressed the importance of the launch for the company:
“R2 represents for us truly the first mass-market product where the price point starts at $45,000 and this just really expands the aperture for who can potentially buy a Rivian and who can participate in the brand. I would argue this is the most important moment for us as a business”.
But the success of R2 is not the only factor that will contribute to Rivian’s global outlook; the group is also forging ahead with future-ready autonomous development, working towards personal autonomy and robotaxi deployments by the beginning of next decade. Rivian possesses a self-confessed “bullish stance” on autonomy, demonstrated through their recent $1.25 billion robotaxi partnership with Uber, aiming to deploy 50,000 autonomous vehicles by 2031.
Among its other partnerships is Rivian’s strategic collaboration with legacy automaker Volkswagen, whose joint venture—named RV Tech—is on track to integrate Rivian’s advanced software and electrical architecture into Volkswagen’s EV lineup.
The first round of winter testing has been a success; however, it could be a few years before we begin to see these vehicles take to the roads.
The first R2s to roll off the production line will be the Performance Trim with launch package and will retail at $57,990.
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