The model will be unveiled in 2024, a year earlier than was originally planned.
Its price will range between $40,000 and $60,000 in the United States.
The company has hinted at a future R3 platform.
Rivian has revised its plans and will unveil the new R2 electric SUV as soon as 2024, with an on-sale date set in 2026.
While most automakers have been delaying their new models by a number of months for a few years already, Rivian is confident it will be able to bring this new model to market about a year earlier than was originally planned.
The R2 SUV is expected to be the first model from a new line of smaller electric vehicles from Rivian that will be both smaller and more affordable than the current R1T and R1S.
According to Rivian, all aspects of the vehicles have been examined in order to determine where costs can be removed with the least impact on the consumers.
This should allow the company to sell the new SUV at a price ranging from $40,000 to $60,000 in the United States, which is $13,000 to $33,000 less than the average selling price for the R1 models.
Of course, trade-offs will have to be made in terms of range, performance, and materials in order to make this price bracket realistic, but Rivian believes the R2 won’t be too far from the larger models in terms of refinement or capabilities.
While the introduction of the R1 models hasn’t been smooth sailing for the young automaker, things should be better for the R2 line due to progress that has been made in terms of supply chain management and technical advancements such as the new Enduro drive units that are built in-house.
Since the compact electric SUV segment is very competitive, Rivian will bet on its user interface and customer experience in order to stand out and attract new buyers.
With the R2 project going along faster than expected, the company has already begun dropping hints about a future R3 platform, but we don’t know whether these models will be bigger or smaller than the R1 and R2 yet.
Source: EV-Edition.com
