Rivian R2 units appeared on car carriers in photos posted to Reddit on late Tuesday, as the EV maker prepares to display the mid-size SUV at its showrooms and open test drives to the public.
The vehicles, captured in transit across multiple US locations, mark the latest visible step in the R2’s commercial rollout — coming just days after Rivian confirmed that the first customer deliveries will begin in June.
“Deliveries are starting next month! We’re in the final stretch,” the company wrote on X last Friday.
The transport sightings follow weeks of preparation as the Irvine-based EV maker scales its sales and service footprint ahead of broader external availability of the model.
Rivian officially started volume and saleable production of the R2 SUV on April 22 at its plant in Normal, Illinois.
During a joint event at the plant with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker last week, attendees spotted numbers written on the windshields of several vehicles that went above 500.
The company reportedly confirmed to X user ‘Riviantrackr‘ that these numbers corresponded to the VIN — suggesting that Rivian had already produced over 500 saleable units of the R2 ahead of external deliveries.
Employee deliveries began on the same day production was confirmed, and the first R2 units with VIN numbers had already started being spotted across the US in the weeks prior.
Rivian expects to deliver 20,000 to 25,000 R2 vehicles this year, with the majority arriving in the second half.
That guidance places significant weight on the consistency of the production ramp through the summer and autumn — and on the company’s ability to move vehicles from the Normal plant to retail locations and customer destinations at scale.
Showroom Display and Test Drives
The vehicles now being moved across the country are expected to reach Rivian‘s retail spaces, where the company has been preparing the model for customer viewing and hands-on demonstrations.
Rivian has been touring the US with the R2 since early April, hosting events across seven cities under the ‘R2 Block Party’ banner — with long queues forming at multiple stops as the EV maker builds momentum ahead of customer deliveries.
It was at one of those events that a Rivian sales representative confirmed to reservation holders that current and former R1 owners will receive priority on R2 deliveries through the company’s ‘R2 Priority Delivery Offer.’
The transition from event-only showcases to permanent showroom presence and test drives represents a meaningful expansion of public access to the model.
Until now, reservation holders and prospective buyers have only been able to see the R2 in person at the touring events, which were ticketed and limited to specific dates and locations.
Reservation Holders Await Details
R2 reservations have been open since March 2024, when the model was first unveiled.
The model was officially launched on March 12 in the Performance version, priced from $57,990, with a ‘Launch Edition’ package that includes lifetime access to Rivian’s Autonomy+ ADAS.
Two additional variants are confirmed: a Premium trim priced at $53,990, expected in late 2026, and a Standard variant priced at $45,000, expected in late 2027.
As part of its effort to assess demand for the launch trim, the company began contacting reservation holders to confirm their pre-orders in March.
For those who had already reserved a vehicle, Rivian is now requesting confirmation of the delivery address and whether they are interested in the Launch Edition.
“In June, you’ll see your estimated time to order,” the company stated in a customer e-mail at the time.
Reservation holders who are not current R1 owners have begun speculating about when their deliveries might take place, with at least one user reporting on Rivian Forums that the company indicated reservations placed after January 2026 may not be fulfilled until 2027 at the earliest.
Software and Autonomy Updates
The increased visibility of the model coincides with a series of disclosures by Rivian executives about the R2’s software stack and autonomy roadmap.
The company’s autonomy and software leaders responded to questions on Reddit last week, addressing concerns from R2 reservation holders about the gap between the first vehicles shipping this spring and the LiDAR-equipped versions arriving later this year.
The executives also revealed more about the model’s infotainment, confirming that ‘Amazon Music’ is scheduled to roll out ‘soon,’ with ‘YouTube Music’ to follow.
Chief Software Officer Wassym Bensaid also confirmed that Rivian‘s next-generation operating system will debut on the R2 at launch — before rolling out to existing R1 vehicles later this year.
