Rivian sets R2 EV deliveries for spring 2026, starting at $57,990

Rivian kept its most important product on schedule even after tornado damage hit its Illinois factory, reinforcing how much depends on the R2. The company said deliveries of the midsize, five-seat electric SUV were set to begin in spring 2026, starting with the R2 Performance with Launch Package at $57,990.

Premium R2 configurations were slated to follow in late 2026, with Standard versions due in 2027. That timeline matters because the R2 is widely seen as Rivian’s make-or-break vehicle, the one meant to push the company beyond a narrow premium following and into a broader market where scale, margins and execution decide which EV makers survive.

Rivian is launching the R2 from its existing 4.3 million-square-foot plant in Normal, Illinois, while a 1.1 million-square-foot expansion on the east side of the site is still advancing. The new space is designed around body shop and general assembly operations, and Rivian previously said the expanded Normal campus would support a planned capacity of 215,000 total units. The company has cast the R2 as the centerpiece of its next phase, with production beginning in Normal before a larger Georgia factory comes online.

That longer-term plan runs through Georgia, where customer vehicle production is expected to begin in 2028. Rivian has said the state project could eventually reach 400,000 vehicles a year at full buildout and create 7,500 jobs by 2030, along with 2,000 construction jobs. For Rivian, the sequencing is critical: Normal has to prove the company can build the R2 at scale before Georgia becomes the next major engine of output.

The rollout was tested by severe weather in central Illinois on Friday, April 17, 2026, when the National Weather Service said a supercell and embedded tornadoes caused the greatest structural damage near Bloomington-Normal in McLean County. The weather agency later said at least two dozen observed tornadoes were reported across areas mainly north of I-72, and nearby tornadoes were classified as EF1 with estimated peak winds of 100 mph.

RJ Scaringe told employees that one tornado damaged Building 2 at the Normal plant, an area being used for R2 parts storage and logistics. He said no one was injured, thanked staff for following emergency protocols, and said operations in the damaged area were expected to resume this week while the rest of the plant continued operating as planned. CNBC reported the damage included roof and wall damage to the recently constructed building. For Rivian, keeping the R2 on track after the storm was more than a repair job, it was a test of whether the company can deliver reliability before it asks buyers to bet on a new chapter.