Rivian‘s Chief Software Officer Wassym Bensaid confirmed on Wednesday that the first R2 mid-size SUVs will be delivered to employees in April, marking the beginning of the company’s most important product launch since its founding.
Bensaid responded to a post on X noting that April marks the start of R2 employee deliveries, writing “Yes” with a fire emoji — detailing a timeline he had first disclosed in detail during an interview in mid-March.
The Irvine-headquartered brand told reservation holders in mid-March that they will see their “estimated time to order” in June.
Rivian‘s website states the configurator will open “in the coming months.”
Delivery Sequence
In the SXSW interview with Out of Spec founder Kyle Conner, Bensaid provided the most detailed delivery timeline any Rivian executive had shared publicly.
“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.
Employees will receive vehicles first, as Rivian did with its R1 models.
“We’ll start internally with employees who will have the cars for a few months, that will help us to accumulate a ton of miles but then also have that return of experience on the overall software,” the executive said.
Customer deliveries will follow. “And then we’re going public with the first lucky customers end of spring,” Bensaid said.
The “end of spring” language narrows the external delivery window to late May or June — consistent with signals from other channels.
Earlier this year, Rivian told local outlet WGLT during a plant tour in Normal, Illinois, that first customer deliveries were “expected by June.”
Production
Production is set to begin at Rivian’s plant in Normal, Illinois, starting on one shift before adding a second later in the year.
Last month, Rivian updated its R2 webpage to announce that demo drives are “coming soon” and said the model will go on a cross-country tour over the next two months — starting in California and ending in Tennessee.
Pricing and 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.
CEO Scaringe has said the bill of materials for the R2 is “roughly” half that of the R1, calling it a “dramatic reduction in the cost structure to build it.”
Delivery Targets
On the fourth-quarter earnings call, CFO Claire McDonough said R1 and commercial van volumes would be roughly in line with 2025 on a full-year basis, with the R2 ramp accelerating in the second half.
The company expects to deliver between 62,000 and 67,000 vehicles this year, with the R2 implicitly accounting for approximately 19,700 to 24,700 units — potentially making it Rivian’s best-selling model in its first year of production.
DA Davidson analyst Michael Shlisky, who upgraded Rivian to Neutral from Underperform earlier this Wednesday, has previously flagged the R2 target as aggressive, noting that only the Ford Mustang Mach-E has come close to that level in a debut year.
Bensaid’s Role
Bensaid serves a dual role as Rivian‘s Chief Software Officer and co-CEO of Rivian‘s joint venture with the Volkswagen Group — the partnership through which VW is investing up to $5.8 billion in Rivian‘s electrical architecture and software platform.
During the SXSW interview, Bensaid walked through what he called “a complete new UX framework” powering the R2, offering the deepest look yet at the software underpinning the mid-size SUV.
Top Gear Award
Earlier on Wednesday, Scaringe was named EV Influencer of the Year in TopGear’s EV Awards 2026.
“It’s incredible to be recognized by Top Gear at such a pivotal moment in the R2 launch journey,” Scaringe said in a statement. “This award is a testament to the entire Rivian team for their passion and their relentless focus on bringing this vehicle to life.”
