Rivian begins deliveries of its all-important R2 SUV

Rivian officially began delivering its first R2 SUVs to paying customers on Tuesday, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the all-electric automaker as it tries to reach mass market reach.

Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe said the R2 is “probably the most important thing we’ve launched yet,” which is particularly crucial to the company’s ambitions in the world of self-driving vehicles.

Starting at around $58,000, the R2 takes much of what Rivian did with the R1 SUV and shrinks it into a more accessible and affordable form factor. The company plans to offer a version of the R2 for less than $50,000, starting in 2027. A more streamlined model (around $45,000) will be available later that year — a payoff at a price point that Rivian has teased since it unveiled the R2 in 2024.

The company is looking to ramp up production and deliveries of the R2 during the second half of 2026. Rivian plans for the R2 to be very successful from the jump: The company said it will offer between 20,000 and 25,000 R2 SUVs by the end of the year. If it achieves this feat, Rivian’s R2 will be one of the fastest electric vehicles to launch in U.S. history.

From there, Rivian wants to build and sell hundreds of thousands of R2 SUVs annually. The company has begun production at its plant in Normal, Illinois, and is building a new plant in Georgia that will be operational in late 2028.

The R2 reaches an inflection point for electric vehicles in America. The Trump administration has weakened environmental regulations that pressure the auto industry to move away from gas engines. Congress also eliminated the $7,500 federal tax credit, which made new electric cars more affordable. Most legacy automakers have postponed or canceled their EV plans in the U.S., and even industry leader Tesla’s sales are declining.

But electric vehicle sales are on the rise elsewhere around the world, and China is producing very cheap sedans and crossovers, prompting some countries to demand that they be brought ashore. Earlier this year, Canada significantly reduced the import tax on Chinese-made electric vehicles in an effort to combat rising new car prices.

Scaringe painted this environment as an opportunity for his company. With fewer new electric vehicles on the market in the U.S., the R2 has a chance to become one of the most compelling options available, he said in recent interviews.

Rivian is also pinning a lot of promises about autonomy on the R2. In December, the company laid out its vision for increasing self-driving SUV capabilities over the next few years, and Rivian expects the R2 to eventually be able to drive itself. In March, Uber struck a deal with Rivian worth up to $1.25 billion that would allow up to 40,000 R2 models to be used as robotaxis on the ride-hailing giant’s network.