Rivian will unveil the R2 on March 7. confirmed Monday in a post on X (Twitter) that customers should “prepare to meet R2 on March 7.” Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe previously said the next-generation platform would be smaller and cheaper than the R1 range.
The automaker hasn't yet said where the event will take place, but it will definitely be in Laguna Beach, California. Last month, its city council publicly job a request approved in its minutes for a “Launch of Rivian R2”, as part of a “global product launch event at the Rivian Theatre” on the same date. If that wasn't enough, Rivian's X teaser included audio of waves crashing, beachgoers playing, and seagulls calling.
Rivian representatives reportedly plan to hold the event at the Rivian South Coast Theater in Laguna Beach. The car manufacturer bought the cinema (opened in 1937 and closed in 2015) in 2021 before renovating it and reopening this last December. The company has asked the council for permission to display six vehicles on a public grassy area near the theater, which seems ideal for a media contact area after a formal presentation indoors.
The R2 platform is expected to start with a smaller SUV (apparently the size of a Jeep Grand Cherokee) whose price is between 40,000 and 60,000 dollars. R1 platform vehicles start at around $80,000, although some models are available for rentalmaking them eligible for a full $7,500 tax credit.
When Scaringe held a Questions and answers on Instagram last year, he said the vehicle's expected delivery date had slipped from 2025 to 2026. So unless Rivian's plans have changed drastically since then, expect the event to March precedes a long wait before you can bring one home. Rivian has still not started construction of a next factory in Georgia which will produce the R2 range.
Rivian is losing about $31,000 on each R1 platform vehicle it makes as the electric vehicle maker positions its brand for an all-electric future. The R2 is expected to be more efficient (with more accessible prices) while the car manufacturer tries to turn towards profitability. The company's CEO said in late 2023 that he was talking with a “pipeline” of commercial customers for its electric vans after his End of four-year exclusivity agreement with Amazon. However, it still plans to fulfill its contract with Amazon, which calls for 100,000 vans to be delivered to the online retailer by 2030.