American electric vehicle startup Rivian proudly announced that it has already received more than 100,000 pre-orders for its new R2 electric mid-size SUV, WGLT reported.
Rivian R2 pre-orders top 100,000
Rivian Manufacturing Vice President Tim Fallon revealed during the electric automaker’s third annual Family and Friends Day in Normal, Illinois, on July 21, 2024, that the upcoming low-cost R2 electric SUV has secured “well over” 100,000 pre-orders.
VP Fallon further noted that the pre-order pool continues to expand, demonstrating the customers’ growing preference for affordable models.
“We’re well over a 100,000 pre-orders for R2, and those continue to climb — and they really climb organically. As we really push R1 and R1 Gen 2 and continue to get our current product out there, the R2 continues to increase in pre-orders.”
Rivian Manufacturing Vice President Tim Fallon
This remarkable pre-order growth for the Rivian R2 is no longer surprising, considering that it managed to receive 68,000+ reservations in March 2024 in just the initial 24 hours of launch.
What to expect from Rivian R2?
Rivian’s R2 electric SUV looks like a small version of the R1 model. It is expected to cost at least $45,000, approximately in the same price range as the popular Tesla Model Y electric crossover.
For reference, Rivian’s flagship R1S electric SUV starts from about $78,000.
Given that the Tesla Model Y dominated the automotive market in all categories last year, it is unsurprising that many automakers like Rivian have started to aim for the same price range to compete.
Going back, the R2 electric SUV is expected to feature similar features as the higher-cost R1 EVs. However, it will have a more compact build, about 15 inches shorter than the R1S electric SUV.
It will use a larger battery pack that can enable at least 300 miles of driving range. Rivian also revealed that the model will offer three motor configurations: single, dual, and tri-motor.
The tri-motor variant can reportedly accelerate from 0-60 miles per hour in just sub-3 seconds.
While the Rivian R1T and R1S currently use an adapter to use Tesla Superchargers, the R1T will have a native NACS port.
Production plans
Rivian plans to boost its hiring effort to support the production ramp-up for the R2 electric SUV in 2026.
Rivian reportedly secured $827 million in state incentives to expand its existing Normal plant in Illinois. The planned expansion will enable Rivian to hit an annual production capacity of 215,000 EVs. Of that total, the electric automaker disclosed that 155,000 units would be R2 models. The R1T and R1S will contribute approximately 85,000 units.
While it could aid Rivian in meeting the growing customer demand, it would still depend on how it can rapidly ramp up production to hit the target capacity.
