Rivian‘s founder and CEO RJ Scaringe posted images on Friday showing the company’s upcoming R2 SUV charging at a Rivian station ahead of the road trip across Route 66.
The images were shared a day after the EV maker announced its first Manufacturing Validation Build (MVB) vehicles had rolled off the line at its Illinois plant.
The Instagram stories showed the camouflaged mid-size SUV at a Rivian charging station, along with a close-up of a Route 66 sticker on the vehicle’s rear window — part of a cross-country promotional trip along the historic American highway.
Rivian reaffirmed on Thursday its plan of beginning the R2 production ramp-up and consumer deliveries in the first half of this year.
“To celebrate, this R2 MVB is embarking on its first real-world drive: a road trip across iconic Route 66,” Rivian said in an email Thursday sent to EV.
“Look out for this specific R2 MVB as it stops at legendary sites along America’s ‘Mother Road’ and follow the journey on Rivian‘s social media on Instagram,” the company added.
Production Progress
The milestone follows weeks of manufacturing preparation at Normal.
In late December, Scaringe shared footage from the plant showing R2 bodies moving through automated assembly equipment.
“We’re running our bodies through our automated hang-on line,” Scaringe said in a video posted on X.
“Hang the doors, hang the hood, and the lift gate robotically, which is different than how we did it on the R1. It allows us to eventually control them perfectly,” the founder and CEO said back then.
He added that the production quality of the pilot units was meeting expectations.
More Affordable Segment
Rivian is preparing to begin producing customer units of its R2 SUV, a model expected to significantly boost demand by moving the company into a more affordable segment than its current premium R1 lineup.
The Irvine-headquartered brand unveiled the R2 mid-size SUV in March 2024, alongside the R3 and off-road R3X crossover SUVs.
According to Scaringe, the R2 received over 68,000 reservations in less than 24 hours since its unveiling.
Three months later, Rivian‘s VP of Manufacturing Tim Fallon said the model had exceeded “well over 100,000” pre-orders.
Fallon left Rivian later that year and joined Stellantis as Head of Manufacturing in North America.
Earlier this week, the EV maker named Greg Revelle to its new role of chief customer officer, as it prepares to launch its more affordable SUV.
The EV maker said on Monday that Revelle will oversee the customer journey, leading its go-to-market strategy, including sales, marketing, and operations, effective immediately.
