Rivian R2 Reveal Teaser Is Light On Detail But The Stakes Are High
Rivian has announced that it will be revealing its newest vehicle, the R2, on March 7. Not much is known about the R2, but you can glean some details from both Rivian's current lineup and the state of the EV market. The R2 is a big deal for the automaker and there could be a lot riding on the success of the vehicle. As it stands, Rivian makes incredibly solid EV trucks and SUVs (in fact, one was able to reasonably withstand sailing through the brick wall of a pizza shop), but with prices well north of $70,000, it has only a niche audience.
R2, however, could be what Rivian needs to enter the mass market. As with the general trend of EVs and cars in general, the R2 will likely be a five-seater SUV, smaller than the existing R1S. The teaser trailer put out by Rivian shows a vehicle with a significantly smaller silhouette than what the brand offers now. Mechanically, it will probably use Rivian's in-house Enduro motor design, like the ones seen on the dual-motor R1T.
Rivian's future place in the market
Ahead of March 7, however, the most anyone can do is speculate. Once it's revealed to the public at 10 a.m. Pacific Time (1 p.m. EST), Rivian will start taking $100 refundable deposits. When Rivian first hit the scene a number of years ago, the rest of its competitors, especially Tesla, were decidedly upmarket with cars like the Model S inching past six figures. However, that is rapidly changing in 2024 as automakers step up the EV game and start ever so slowly producing more affordably priced EVs.
If Rivian wants to be seen as a real EV automaker and have any hope of beating Tesla, Ford, Hyundai/Kia, and General Motors in any EV-related capacity, the expensive limited market EVs like the R1T and R1S need to eventually give way to affordable options. The automaker probably isn't making something to compete with the Chevy Bolt, Nissan Leaf, or the Tesla Model 3 – Rivian is almost certainly gunning for the likes of the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Tesla Model Y, Chevy Blazer EV, and Hyundai Ioniq 5.