Rivian sets June 9 launch for lower-priced R2 SUV deliveries
Rivian will start R2 deliveries on June 9, testing whether its lower-priced SUV can push the company toward mass-market scale and first-ever profits.
Rivian will begin first customer deliveries of its R2 SUV on June 9, a crucial milestone for the company’s push to turn an admired EV upstart into a profitable, high-volume automaker. RJ Scaringe has called the model “maybe the most important thing we’ve launched to date,” and the stakes are clear: Rivian needs the R2 to broaden demand far beyond its pricey R1 trucks and SUVs.
The R2 is Rivian’s attempt to move into a larger, more affordable segment of the electric vehicle market. The company’s current R1 lineup starts at roughly $70,000 or more, a price range that has helped build a loyal following but has not yet delivered the scale needed for sustained profitability. By contrast, the R2’s first launch trim starts at $57,990, with a standard version planned for $48,490 in 2027 and an even lower-priced model starting around $45,000 later that year.
Rivian began production of saleable R2 vehicles at its Normal, Illinois plant on April 22, after more than two years of testing and development following the SUV’s March 2024 reveal. In its April shareholder update, the company said it had started making saleable R2 vehicles, delivered the first units to employees, and expected external customer deliveries in the coming weeks. Rivian has also said public customer deliveries were on track to begin later this spring.
The company has framed the R2 launch as a major engineering and manufacturing milestone, not just a product introduction. That matters because Rivian has said the SUV is central to its plan to reach profitability for the first time since its founding in 2009. The company has said as many as 25,000 R2 vehicles could be delivered by the end of 2026, a target that would mark a sharp step up in scale if Rivian can hit it.
The launch also has implications beyond Rivian. In a U.S. EV market still dominated by higher-income buyers and price-sensitive competition, the R2 is Rivian’s bid to prove it can build an appealing vehicle at a lower cost, ramp production reliably and still make money. If the company can deliver the SUV on time and profitably, it would strengthen one of the few remaining independent EV brands trying to cross from niche status into mass-market relevance.
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