Rivian expects to deliver more than 20,000 units of its new R2 SUV before the end of the year

The market launch of the new Rivian R2 is just around the corner, and with it a decisive moment for the California-based electric vehicle manufacturer. After several years of selling the R1S SUV and the R1T pickup, two high-end models with a fairly high price, the R2 now arrives aimed at a market segment with a much higher level of demand.

During the recent fourth-quarter earnings conference, Rivian unveiled its sales forecasts for this model. Let us analyze that data below.

According to the report presented, the California-based manufacturer headquartered in Irvine plans to deliver between 62,000 and 67,000 vehicles in total throughout this entire year 2026. That figure includes the R1T, R1S and their commercial van, which are already on sale today. The company plans to roughly maintain the 2025 delivery levels for these models, which amounted to just over 42,000 vehicles.

By simple subtraction, that means that Rivian expects to deliver between 20,000 and 25,000 units of its new R2 SUV before the year ends. Production of this new model will start in the second quarter of 2026, although production volume will not reach significant levels until the second half of the year. Initially, the launch edition of the new R2 will leave the assembly line of the Normal, Illinois plant on a single shift, to which a second shift will be added at later dates throughout 2026.

The future of Rivian depends on the success of its new R2 SUV

After scaling up production during this first year, Rivian is confident that by the end of 2027 the R2 SUV will account for most of the company’s total production. The expanded Normal plant has the capacity to produce up to 215,000 units a year, of which around 155,000 could correspond to the R2. In later years, the company plans to produce this model and future ones such as the R3 at a new facility being built in the state of Georgia.

In its presentation, Rivian promised a base selling price for the R2 of 45,000 dollars, which is roughly half of what one currently has to pay for the higher-segment R1S. The R2 thus positions itself as a model for the general public, with a level of demand that should be much greater.

Finally, it is worth noting that the first analyses published by North American media, which have already had the chance to test this new compact SUV, are generally quite positive, and most of them highlight that Rivian has managed to condense the experience offered by the R1S into a vehicle with smaller dimensions and a much more accessible price. The new R2 is thus presented as a direct rival to the Tesla Model Y, the world’s best-selling model in recent years.