Rivian R2 Close to Production!

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One of the big hopes for the US electric car market is the Rivian R2. This is the vehicle from Rivian that could really pull the brand into the mass market. It’s a bit like the Model 3 was for Tesla (but, of course, quite different since the Model 3 opened up the market tremendously and the R2 is not even close to being the first EV in its class). Can Rivian rise up and reach profitability on the back of the R2? That’s the golden question.

The good news is that the Rivian R2 is getting close to production. Last week, Rivian posted the following update on LinkedIn: “R2 manufacturing validation builds are rolling off the line in Normal! 12 months ago, this was a grass field — incredible work by our teams to get our R2 plant built so quickly!”

So, no, those are not production models for sale yet, but it’s getting close! Rivian included these images along with the post:

Note that while the Rivian R1T and R1S start over $70,000, the Rivian R2 is supposed to start at just $45,000 — Tesla Model Y range.

The R2 will be produced in Normal, Illinois, originally, but then will also be produced in Georgia as production ramps up. Rivian’s max annual production capacity in its Normal factory is 215,000 vehicles, and that would presumably include 155,000 units of the R2. Adding in production in Georgia, Rivian could produce hundreds of thousands of the vehicle. Can the company do it? Would customers come over en masse from Tesla to try out the next new thing?

It has taken Rivian a long time to get to mass-market production and semi-affordable electric vehicles, but it looks like the company is almost there. Stay tuned!

All images courtesy of Rivian.