Rivian‘s Chief Software Officer Wassym Bensaid disclosed on Tuesday that the company’s upcoming R2 midsize SUV will have a top speed of 130 mph (209 km/h) — matching the flagship R1T and R1S Quad-Motor, which are priced nearly twice as high.
“R2 top speed is 130 mph — Available in regular drive modes, not only launch mode,” Bensaid wrote on X.
The figure places the R2 Performance Launch Edition on par with Rivian‘s most powerful vehicles.
The R1T and R1S Quad-Motor — which produce 1,025 horsepower from four in-house-designed electric motors and start at $117,885 and $123,885, respectively — share the same 130 mph top speed.
The R1 Dual-Motor variants are limited to approximately 111 mph.
At $57,990, the R2 Performance Launch Edition would deliver flagship-level top speed at roughly half the price of the Quad-Motor R1 models.
Bensaid’s note that the speed is “available in regular drive modes, not only launch mode” suggests the R2 does not require the driver to engage a specific performance sequence to reach its maximum speed.
R2 Lineup
The Performance Launch Edition at $57,990 is the first trim to reach customers, followed by a Premium variant at $53,990 in late 2026 and a Standard Long Range at $48,490 in early 2027.
The entry-level Standard at $45,000 — the most anticipated trim — is not expected until late 2027.
Scaringe has pledged to hold that price despite the elimination of the federal $7,500 EV tax credit, but the current timeline places the most affordable version up to 18 months away from first deliveries.
The R2 Chief Engineer has said the model “performed better than we ever expected,” while Rivian‘s sales chief said last week that reservation response has “exceeded” management expectations.
First Delivery Details
The top speed disclosure came after Bensaid offered the most detailed delivery timeline yet in an interview with Out of Spec founder Kyle Conner, recorded inside a pre-production R2 at the SXSW festival in Austin and published last week.
Until then, the company — including CEO RJ Scaringe — had communicated only that first deliveries would begin “later this spring” without clarifying whether that referred to customers or employees, or providing a specific window.
“We’re in the final — obviously — stretch of the R2 validation, where we had the manufacturing validation builds, and then we’re getting into serious production really soon,” Bensaid said.
As it did with the R1 models, Rivian will hand the first units to employees.
In a separate communication on March 12, the company told reservation holders they would see their “estimated time to order” in June.
The fact that employees receive vehicles “for a few months” before public deliveries at the end of spring implies internal distribution will begin over the next weeks.
Software Overhaul
The interview, which EV covered in detail last week, offered the deepest look yet at the software powering the R2. Bensaid walked through what he called “a complete new UX framework” built for the midsize SUV that Rivian officially debuted last week with a starting price of $57,990 for the Performance Launch Edition.
Rivian has also begun contacting reservation holders to confirm their pre-orders, though the online configurator has not yet opened.
The company said on March 12 it “will open in the coming months.”
