The smaller Rivian R2 electric SUV will be made in right-hand drive for sale in the UK, but Australian availability is still up in the air.
RJ Scaringe, Rivian’s founder and CEO, told Autocar the company will launch the R2 in North American during the first half of 2026, with European sales following on from that. Once those launches were out of the way, the R2 would then be introduced into the UK in right-hand drive.
With the R2 confirmed as being engineered for right-hand drive, the chances of it being sold Down Under have increased significantly.
When asked about an Australian launch, a Rivian spokesperson told CarExpert, “It’s our ambition to sell our cars globally – including Australia – however we don’t have a timeframe to share at the moment.”
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Although firm dates for the European and UK debuts to yet to be set, both the R2 and the even smaller R3/R3X were developed with Europe in mind.
Measuring 4715mm long, 1905mm wide, 1700mm tall, and with a 2935mm wheelbase, the R2 is 35mm shorter and 73mm narrower than the Tesla Model Y, but has a more upright body.
At least in photos, the upcoming R2 and the larger seven-seat R1S are hard to tell apart, but the five-seat R2 is a huge step down in size. It is 385mm shorter and 109mm narrower than the R1S, which is only available in North America.
Measuring 5100mm long, 2014mm wide, 1816mm tall, and with a 3076mm wheelbase the R1S is in roughly the same class size as the Mercedes-Benz GLS.
Unveiled in near production form in March 2024, the R2 is set to be offered with three drivetrains: single-motor rear-wheel drive, dual-motor all-wheel drive, and tri-motor all-wheel drive.
Concrete power outputs and battery sizes have yet to be revealed, but last year Rivian claimed all three drivetrains would have at least 480km of range under the US EPA testing regime.
The R2 has a target starting price of US$45,000 (A$69,000), which is line ball with the base Model Y Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive model available in the US.
Founded in 2009, we had to wait until 2021 for Rivian’s first customer-ready vehicles to start trundling out of the old Mitsubishi factory in Normal, Illinois. The company’s current lineup is limited to the R1T ute, related R1S SUV, and the EDV delivery van, initially developed for Amazon.
Although the R1T ute and related R1S SUV have earned critical praise, including a few car of the year awards, sales have been slow and steady rather spectacular.
Pricing no doubt plays a large part in this, with the R1S priced from US$76,990 to US$121,990, and the R1T going from US$70,990 to US$115,900.
For context, in the US, the Range Rover Sport starts from US$81,550, and a petrol-powered by Ford F-150 begins at US$40,045, with the electric F-150 Lightning kicking off from US$65,540.
Last year Rivian sold just 51,579 vehicles in North America. With small sales, a large R&D budget, and a money-munching manufacturing operation, Rivian lost US$4.7 billion (A$7.2 billion) last year.
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