A “Tesla and Rivian owner/fan” uncovered reported details about the new Rivian R2 scheduled to make its global debut Thursday. The EV maker’s new model is about the size of the Tesla Model Y and costs less than $50K.
Rivian will reveal its next product line, the R2, on March 7 at 1 p.m. EST.
Chris Hilbert is a tech savvy aficionado of Rivian brand. While checking out the soon-to-be-revealed R2, he decided to put some of that knowledge to use and after running a teaser photo of the EV through a program called Web Inspector, he came across a slew of information — not confirmed by the company — about the new model.
After nosing around a bit, Hilbert contacted a former Rivian employee he knows to inform them about the security issue and it’s since been fixed. But not before Hilbert took to X, formerly Twitter, to give up the goods.
What do we know about the Rivian R2
According to Hilbert’s findings, the new R2 will come in somewhere between $47,000 and $47,500, he notes on X each price showed up in the materials he reviewed. It boasts a range of 330 miles, races from 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds and seats five people.
Last spring, Rivian CFO Claire McDonough gave some hints about R2 pricing, indicating the crossover likely come in at somewhere between $40,000 to $60,000, depending upon options. As with the R1 line, that could include various-sized battery packs.
Additionally, it’s 185.6 inches long with a wheelbase of 115.6 inches. It’s 75 inches wide, although 84.4 inches wide including the mirrors and 66.9 inches high. The R2 features a ground clearance of 9.8 inches with an approach angle of 25 degrees and a departure angle of 27 degrees.
It’s a touch shorter than the Model Y — the bestselling EV in the world — and a little taller and wider, but all of those measurements are within 1.5 inches either way compared with Tesla’s midsize SUV. The same is true of the Ford Mustang Mach-E and while the Chevrolet Blazer EV is about 7 inches longer with a wheel that is a little more than 6 inches longer the overall size is about the same.
Rivian R2 versus R1S
The Rivian R2 will measure 185.6 inches in total length, with a width of 75 inches and a height of 66.9 inches. By comparison, the R1S stretches 217.1 inches bumper-to-bumper, measures 81.8 inches in width and stands 73.1 inches tall.
The website indicates there will be a “powered rear glass.” It’s unclear if that references the tailgate – which all but certainly would be powered – or indicates the glass portion of the tailgate can open on its own, as well.
Rivian also mentioned offering a factory bike rack which could, in turn, be stored in a frunk, or front trunk, when not in use.
The new R2 isn’t expected to hit the market until 2026, and it’s scheduled to be built at the company’s new plant in Georgia, about 40 minutes from Atlanta.
The site is expected to have a capacity of 400,000 vehicles annually. Construction is expected to begin later this year. Rivian has begun an apprenticeship program designed to help staff the facility.
Looking further ahead, Rivian is expected to use the all-new platform underpinning the R2 crossover for still more models. Some are expected to push to even lower price points in a bid to attract more mainstream buyers, according to several sources who spoke to Headlight.News on background.
More Rivian stories
- Rivian Poaches Top Apple Exec, Other Talent, Despite Ongoing Problems
- Rivian bucks trend with production hike
- Rivian opens lease option
How and why do we know
The R2 line will be built at the new Rivian plant in Georgia.
Hilbert did what so many do when they investigate things — he took a chance. This time it paid off, and though he revealed what he found, he maintains he had no ill intent. In fact, he’s on the reservation list for the new vehicle.
“Long story short, I am really excited about the Rivian R2,” Hilbert wrote late Monday on X, according to Automotive News. “I was looking at the website to see if I could see behind the 2 sneak peek images. I opened web inspector in Safari looking for these images and/or a high quality sneak peek image,” he said, referring to the Safari web browser.
“There’s a file called ‘R2,’ so I opened that, and as I was scrolling looking for PNG [photo] files. There it all was … this was not a malicious intent or hacking or anything. Just accidentally seeing R2 information exposed to the public on their website.”
Paul A. Eisenstein contributed to this report.
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