Rivian CEO Wants R2 to Sell Like Gangbusters RivianThe Rivian R2 has maintained a relatively high level of interest ever since the automaker first showed it off back in March of 2024. Smaller and more affordable yet still well-equipped when compared with rival offerings, the R2 makes for a genuinely compelling offering whether or not you're in the market for an EV. That said, the brand still remains relatively obscure in the eyes of the general buying public.CEO and founder RJ Scaringe knows full well that the R2 SUV is capable of ticking a lot of boxes for those unfamiliar buyers, and the company is rapidly expanding production capacity to meet the expected upcoming demand. Road & Track sat down with the chief executive during the R2 first drive event to discuss these expansion plans and his confidence in Rivian's ability to start selling hundreds of thousands of units annually.Up until this point, every Rivian vehicle has been produced at the automaker's Normal, Illinois production facility, which originally built the Mitsubishi Eclipse, Plymouth Laser, and Eagle Talon. It will remain the birthplace of the larger R1 offerings, but the Normal plant will also build R2s until the brand's future $5 billion factory is complete outside of Atlanta, Georgia. The Illinois facility has been set up with a run rate of 160,000 units annually as its maximum capacity, which far exceeds its current needs; in 2025, the automaker produced just over 42,000 units across both the R1 and commercial vehicle lineups. Even so, the brand has already set a target for an annual capacity of 300,000 units at the Georgia plant following its completion in 2028.AdvertisementAdvertisementOf course, the brand won't start cranking out cars at a Toyota-like rate right when the plant fires up. Scaringe acknowledged the difficulties involved with scaling the supply chain to meet those levels, and the clear need to build more public recognition if that sort of demand is ever to appear. Existing buyers and early adopters are going to be a key part of that growth.Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe (left) with YouTuber Mark Rober.Rivian"There are a lot of people in the United States that still have not yet experienced our brand, and so one of the beautiful things about the way this is going to ramp. And because there's so much excitement for R2, and so much built-in demand, we don't have to be irrational or rushed in trying to create this instant brand awareness," said Scaringe. "And so we can let it naturally unfold. We can let people discover Rivian through our own marketing and discussion of the capabilities of the vehicle, but [also] importantly and powerfully, through word of mouth, through friends, through seeing it and saying, 'What the heck is that thing?'"Given the regulation whiplash surrounding EVs since the R2's first public showing, it felt right to press Scaringe on the general interest in electric cars here in the States. While admittedly a biased source on the popularity of electrified products, Scaringe has maintained a consistent stance on the matter for years: he doesn't believe people aren't interested in EVs; he's convinced instead that automakers have failed to deliver products that bring enough parity with existing machinery. That's particularly true given the SUV obsession we're seemingly afflicted by in this country.Rivian"It's not at all surprising that, if you're running a large car company and you just spent $20 billion launching a bunch of mediocre products that have not done particularly well in the market, that you wouldn't say, 'Oh, well, we just whiffed it. We just launched a bunch of products that are duds,'" said Scaringe. "Of course you're going to say the market doesn't want EVs. You can sort of see why that would happen."AdvertisementAdvertisement"And so," he continued, "we think that the market is very hungry for EVs. I shouldn't say very hungry for EVs, actually, I'd say it differently —very hungry for great cars. And I think the fact that R2 is an EV is secondary. It out-accelerates a Porsche 911, it goes off road better than just about anything in its price class, it's got more storage capacity than anything in its category, EV or non EV. And It's great to look at, it's fun to use, it's fun to drive, it's got a bunch of unique features.""When we think about the EV market, we actually are not looking at it to say, well, we're just going to go try to grab Tesla Model Y customers," added Scaringe. "We think, of course, there's gonna be some that move over—but the interesting part is, you have like ninety-four percent of the market that hasn't had a choice [of EV] that fits their form factor. I mean, the amazing thing about the Model Y is, it's actually not exactly in the form factor sweet spot; it's more of a crossover, it's like a tall car. It's a great, highly-compelling vehicle, I've had one. But for a lot of the U.S. market, they're looking for something that's true, like a highly functional SUV."Scaringe is not shy about his belief in this particular product. He genuinely believes that this is the first compelling EV on the market for general audiences outside of the Model Y, and one that meets customers where they are in a way that others have failed to do so. He's seemingly willing to bet his company's future on just that.Rivian"I think the R2 is the first time we have a real alternative to Tesla, where the electronics, the software, [were] all developed vertically from a EV-first standpoint," said Scaringe. "The driveline, the on-road and off-road dynamics are beautifully balanced. The efficiency's best in class. And so, of course, I think that because we're betting the company on that—we're not planning to sell 25,000, we're planning to sell hundreds of thousands of these—so implicit in that assumption is the belief that the market is going to want something at this scale."Of course, we won't see the Georgia plant cranking out 300,000 R2s a year even once the supply chain catches up. The R2 is a bridge to the slew of cars coming next from Rivian, all of which are slated to be built outside of Atlanta. These include the fan-favorite R3 and R3X, as well as a few that may be new to even hardcore Rivian fans."In Georgi,a we have a few variants," said Scaringe. "So there's R2, there's R3, there's a number of variants we haven't hinted at or alluded to — R3X, you've seen R3X, you can use your imaginations. There's gonna be other things on R2 and R3 to come, and then, of course, there's R4 and R5, which we haven't shown yet. [Chief design officer] Jeff [Hammoud] wanted to show them today, but I told him no. He doesn't like when I talk about R4 or R5."After spending time with the R2 during the vehicle's first drive program in Utah, I'm fairly convinced that Rivian will have no problem finding buyers for the electric SUV. Hopefully the sales are strong enough to speed along the timeline on that lovely R3X we've all been drooling over for years at this point.You Might Also LikeIf You Can Only Own One Car, Make It One of TheseThese Are the Most Popular Cars by State