Rivian has set June 9 as the delivery date for its first R2 SUV customers. CEO RJ Scaringe has called the R2 "maybe the most important thing we've launched to date."
The initial trim starts just under $60,000. Rivian has promised a standard version at $48,490 in 2027, with an even cheaper $45,000 option coming late next year.
Rivian is targeting 25,000 R2 deliveries by year's end. The company has been burning cash since its 2009 founding. The R2 and its hatchback sibling, the R3, are Rivian's main path to profitability.
The R1 lineup served a premium niche. The R2 is designed to compete directly with mainstream electric SUVs. June 9 will show whether Scaringe and his team can deliver on the timeline and hit their 2026 targets, or whether Rivian remains unable to scale beyond its early adopter base.
