Rivian plans to begin deliveries of the R2 SUV in “mid-April”, according to a sales representative at the company’s newly opened King of Prussia Mall showroom.
The company founded and led by RJ Scaringe is nearing the start of production of customer units of its most important model ever — which will allow Rivian to enter a much more affordable market segment.
The EV maker first announced the R2 platform in 2022, with an initial launch planned for 2025.
However, manufacturing delays and the priority on scaling R1 production pushed the debut to 2026.
Rivian unveiled the R2 mid-size SUV in March 2024, alongside the R3 and off-road R3X crossover SUVs. The latter two came as a surprise, as the company had not mentioned them beforehand.
At the time, Rivian announced it was moving R2 production from Georgia to its main plant in Normal, Illinois. The shift saved approximately $2.25 billion while allowing vehicle production to begin earlier.
The R2 is expected to be initially launch in a Performance Dual Motor configuration, with Rivian prioritizing higher-margin trims before scaling production.
The company has not confirmed whether the $45,000 base variant will be available for 2026 deliveries.
First Deliveries in April
The timeline, shared with a customer who visited the Pennsylvania store over the weekend, aligns with Rivian‘s public target of starting both production and customer deliveries in the first half of 2026.
The information was posted on social media by user Parag Jain, who visited the showroom shortly after it opened.
“Rep mentioned R2 will start with 300+ miles of range and deliveries expected to begin mid-April,” Jain wrote on X this Sunday.
In a follow up post, he confirmed that the information was given by Rivian staff. “Yep, that’s what I was told in-store,” Jain added.
Validation units of the R2 rolled off the production line at Rivian’s Normal, Illinois plant in mid-January, with the founder and CEO RJ Scaringe saying a week later that production would begin “this Spring”.
Rivian has not officially confirmed the range specification or delivery timeline for the R2.
The EV maker is expected to lift its press embargo on the R2 on Tuesday (Feb.10), according to a leaked embargo date by InsideEVs in a video that has since been deleted.
King of Prussia Opening
Rivian opened the King of Prussia showroom last week, marking its first US location of 2026 as the company expands its retail network.
“We are excited to open our first space in Pennsylvania!” Chief Customer Officer Greg Revelle, who was recently appointed to the new role, wrote on LinkedIn. “The store is our first US opening of 2026. Thanks for the warm welcome.”
The showroom sits adjacent to Porsche and Tesla locations in one of the largest shopping centers on the East Coast.
It is Rivian‘s sole presence in Pennsylvania, bringing the company’s North American retail and service network to approximately 95 locations across the United States and Canada.
2025 Deliveries
Rivian‘s vehicle deliveries fell approximately 18% in 2025 to 42,247 units despite its expanded sales and service network.
The company delivered 14,183 vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2025, the first one after the $7,500 EV Tax Credit expired — a policy change that had driven consumers to accelerate purchases in the prior period.
Rivian shares closed 7.8% higher on Friday at $14.80. Year to date, the stock has plunged by 24.9% based on the latest closing price.
As of press time, Rivian shares were rising 1.1% to $14.97.
