Rivian said on Thursday that the first manufacturing validation build vehicles for its R2 SUV have rolled off the production line in Normal, Illinois, as the electric vehicle maker prepares for customer deliveries in the first half of the year.
“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!” founder and CEO RJ Scaringe wrote on Instagram Thursday in a shared post with Rivian‘s account.
To mark the milestone, Rivian is sending one of the first R2 validation builds on a road trip along Route 66, with planned stops at landmarks along America’s “Mother Road” documented on the company’s Instagram.
On X, Scaringe wrote: “R2 manufacturing validation builds are rolling off the line in Normal! Beyond excited to start delivering to customers soon.”
Production Timeline
The milestone keeps R2 on track for production ramp-up and customer deliveries in the first half of 2026.
However, the Irvine-headquartered EV maker has not yet announced any concrete date for the first deliveries or official production start of customer R2 vehicles.
A prototype spotted near Rivian‘s factory on December 23 had suggested trial production was underway.
Later this quarter, Rivian plans to host a dedicated R2 event where it will unveil details including initial variants, pricing, and a timeline for LiDAR integration.
The R2, a midsize SUV set to be priced from $45,000, represents Rivian‘s push into the mass market and is expected to compete directly with Tesla’s Model Y — the world’s best selling car across all powertrains.
The EV maker is expected to begin production with a higher priced trim while starting manufacturing the $45,000 entry level trim at a later stage.
More details on the R2 production ramp-up and exact timeline for first US deliveries are expected during the earnings call.
Rivian is scheduled to report fourth-quarter results on February 12 after US markets close.
As reported earlier on Thursday, Rivian may be developing a consumer version of its commercial delivery van after drone footage captured a windowed prototype at the company’s Illinois manufacturing plant.
