Rivian presents R2 electric SUV – accidentally

On 7 March, US electric car manufacturer Rivian will present its R2 electric SUV, its first next-generation model after the R1S and R1T. Several details were inadvertently leaked through the website's code before the official premiere.

It said that the R2 will start at prices from 47,000 dollars and offer a range of up to 330 miles (531 kilometres). The market launch is planned for 2026. Also, the electric SUV can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in three seconds and has room for five passengers.

The electric SUV will be 185.6 inches long, 75 inches wide (84.4 inches with mirrors), and 66.9 inches high. According to Electrek, who looked at the source code on the Rivian website, there is also mention of a frunk. The news portal quotes: “We design our vehicles to maximize storage throughout. The roomy front trunk offers plenty of space to stow large items – from weekend gear to weekly grocery haul.”

Moreover, the vehicle will feature a bike mount system.

Not surprisingly, the website also mentions a NACS chargeport. The carmaker announced a deal with Tesla in June 2023, saying that from 2025, vehicles of the R1 model series and the upcoming R2 platform will have NACS charging ports.

The remaining specs and additional features will be made public at the end of this week.

The US EV maker built about 57,000 vehicles in 2023, exceeding its own target of 54,000 units. Rivian currently only makes the R1T Pickup, the R1S SUV, and the Electric Delivery Van (EDV) for Amazon and only operates one plant in the US. And even though the carmaker will open a second plant in the US state of Georgia this year and add the R2 to its portfolio, it still “expects to produce 57,000 vehicles in 2024, in line with 2023 production,” the company writes in its press release concerning the 2023 results.

Rivian will also “continue its company-wide cost transformation programme,” which helped cut costs for its current model. However, the carmaker also announced that it will reduce it salaried workforce by about ten per cent.

electrek.co (leaked specs), rivian.com (financial results)