Rivian is poised to announce that it has started production of its new R2 model at the Normal, Illinois, plant.
The R2 marks a milestone for the cash-burning EV maker as it seeks to expand beyond its premium R1 lineup into the more affordable, higher-volume segment of the market.
Over the weekend, one of the very first R2s built — identified as VIN number five — was reportedly spotted at a charging station in Kearney, Nebraska.
The vehicle was driven cross-country from the Normal, Illinois plant to Rivian‘s Irvine, California headquarters by an employee.
The first units off the production line are expected to go to employees, consistent with standard automotive practice.
The ‘Glacier White’ unit, fitted with all-terrain tyres, came off the line last Friday, according to a post on the Rivian Forums.
The sighting indicates that Rivian‘s internal delivery programme is now imminent, or already under way.
Rivian did not respond to EV‘s request to confirm whether production has begun.
The company has emailed staff about an R2 employee delivery programme covering Launch Edition vehicles, with both Rivian and Rivian-VW Technologies Group employees eligible.
Chief Software Officer Wassym Bensaid said last month that employees would receive the first units and drive them for several months before customer deliveries begin.
Last week, the executive confirmed that the first R2 mid-size SUVs will be delivered to employees in April, without specifying any day.
Customer deliveries are scheduled to start by the “end of spring,” with the R2 Performance Launch Edition at $57,990 the first trim to reach buyers, followed by a Premium variant at $53,990 in late 2026.
From 2022 Plans to 2026 Production
Rivian first announced the R2 platform during a May 2022 investor call, when CEO RJ Scaringe said the company was on track to launch it in 2025 at a planned new factory in Georgia.
In early 2023, Rivian signed an Economic Development Agreement (EDA) for that second site and confirmed it as the R2 production location.
CFO Claire McDonough told a Bank of America summit later that year that the company expected to build 200,000 R2s in 2026.
The Georgia timeline slipped after zoning-related lawsuits delayed construction.
Rivian only broke ground on the $5 billion plant in September 2025.
The facility is expected to take roughly 36 months to build, with partial operations projected for the third quarter of 2027 and sales of its output starting in 2028.
Unveiling Event
In March 2024, Rivian unveiled the R2 alongside the R3 and R3X — the latter two a surprise — and confirmed it was moving R2 production from Georgia to its existing Normal, Illinois plant.
The shift was expected to save about $2.25 billion and pull production forward to the first half of 2026.
Scaringe said the R2 collected more than 68,000 reservations within 24 hours of unveiling, each secured with a refundable $100 deposit.
Three months later, VP of Manufacturing Tim Fallon said pre-orders had passed “well over 100,000.”
Rivian has not provided an updated reservation figure since.
Final Steps
In September, the EV maker shut the Normal plant for around three weeks to integrate manufacturing changes ahead of R2 start of production.
Weeks later, the company confirmed that hundreds of production-intent builds were already on the road for real-world testing.
A prototype spotted near the factory had already suggested trial production was underway.
In October, Scaringe told The Verge that the first “saleable units” would be built early this year, with deliveries following in the first half of 2026.
Launch Event
The EV maker officially launched the R2 on March 12 at SXSW, confirming pricing and specifications for the Performance variant that had leaked a day earlier.
The R2 Performance starts at $57,990, excluding a $1,495 destination and freight charge, and will be the first variant to reach customers when deliveries begin this spring.
Its dual-motor all-wheel-drive system produces 656 horsepower and 609 lb-ft of torque, with a 0-to-60 mph time as quick as 3.6 seconds and an EPA-estimated range of up to 330 miles.
The launch trim is offered with a limited-time Launch Package that includes a lifetime subscription to Autonomy+, Rivian‘s advanced driver-assistance system.
The company began charging for the software over the weekend, introducing a subscription option for $49.99 per month and a full purchase option for $2,500.
Premium and Standard Trims
Rivian also confirmed two additional R2 variants at the event — the Premium trim, priced at $53,990, is expected in late 2026 with 450 horsepower and 537 lb-ft of torque.
The Standard variant — the long-promised $45,000 entry point — is not expected until late 2027, with a smaller battery and an estimated range of around 265 miles.
The R2 Performance at $57,990 sits almost exactly at the $57,490 price of the Tesla Model Y Performance, the vehicle Rivian has explicitly named as its primary target.
The eventual $45,000 base will still carry a $5,000 premium over the $39,990 Model Y Standard.
Confirmed Specs
A revised filing with the EPA dated March 11 narrowed certification to the two R2 Performance AWD variants now entering production — one on 21-inch range-optimised wheels and one on 20-inch all-terrain tyres.
A reference to LFP chemistry in the January documents suggests a second battery variant may be planned, potentially for the lower-priced Standard trim.
Front and rear motors are rated at 219 kW and 270 kW respectively.
Curb weight is 4,998 pounds for the 21-inch configuration and 5,016 pounds for the 20-inch all-terrain version.
DC fast charging tops out at 210 kW, with a native NACS connector at the rear left corner.
All R2 trims will include a heat pump, the company confirmed to EV.
Unadjusted EPA range came in at 487.4 city miles and 410.8 highway miles for the 21-inch trim.
After the EPA’s typical adjustment, real-world range is expected to land in the 300–340 mile area, in line with Rivian‘s public claim of up to 330 miles for the Performance trim.
Volume Plans
The filings published this month also set out Rivian‘s near-term sales ambition for the R2.
The January 6 application included a projected annual model-year sales figure of 25,000 units, broken down as 5,000 in California and 20,000 across the other federal states.
The figure aligns with Rivian‘s public guidance for 20,000 to 25,000 R2 deliveries in 2026, within a total target of 62,000 to 67,000 vehicles.
Management expects R1S, R1T, and commercial van volumes to remain roughly in line with 2025’s 42,247 units.
R2 production in Normal will start on one shift before adding a second later in the year.
The plant has a capacity for 215,000 vehicles annually, including up to 155,000 R2s.
Rivian has said a Gen 3 autonomy stack with LiDAR will be fitted to R2 vehicles starting in late 2026, with launch units shipping with Gen 2 hardware.
Between April and May, Rivian is taking the R2 on a tour across seven US cities, with demo drives expected to start at select Rivian Spaces around July.
