Rivian CEO Says R2 Program Is Well Underway For H1 2026

Rivian R2 will be the mass-market electric SUV from the American EV startup, which will pave the way to profitability

Rivian CEO, R.J. Scaringe, told the stakeholders during the earnings call that the company is building R2 “validation builds” and “pilot scale” for H1 2026 launch. The American EV startup currently sells the R1T electric pickup truck and R1S electric SUV. However, the substantial price tag has understandably resulted in low volumes despite the popularity and traction. Therefore, the relatively low-cost R2 will be Rivian’s key to profitability and the mass market.

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Rivian CEO Confirms R2 Plans For H1 2026

During the earnings call, R.J. Scaringe and other executives offered a progress report by saying, “When we look at the R2 program, this is well underway.” In a letter to the shareholders, it was said that the prototype assembly line is using “mostly production tooling”. This means that the manufacturing machinery is almost final.

Rivian CEO remarked, “Those vehicles are critical for not just validating the vehicle itself from an engineering and design point of view, but also validating our suppliers and making sure that their processes are robust.” In fact, he took to X to share some photos of the partially assembled R2 prototypes and R2’s “Maximus” drive unit installed on the axle.

Talking about the production plan, it was initially decided that the R2 will be manufactured at the new Georgia facility. However, it is now being revised with the aim of churning out 155,000 units of the R2 annually from the existing Normal, Illinois plant itself. Rivian COO Javier Varela said that the building that will house the expanded paint shop and assembly line is complete, and “now we start implementing the processes inside.”

Furthermore, he clarified that the new manufacturing equipment for the R2 has been sourced and it will undergo testing and calibration at suppliers before being shipped out. Apart from that, Rivian is also planning the R3 electric SUV. Again, the aim is to ramp up production of mass market products to achieve profits as soon as possible.

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Learn Electric Cars Says

The situation with the EV industry globally has been quite challenging and unpredictable. This is especially true with the recent tariffs that the Trump administration imposed on various countries. Carmakers will need to quickly figure out a way around these to ensure that their businesses are not terribly affected. Rivian already purchased bulk EV battery cells from China before the elections. That should serve as a buffer to absorb the adverse impact of tariffs for some time. Let us see how well things pan out going forward.