Rivian R2 electric SUV first deliveries start June 9 (David Paul Morris / Bloomberg via Getty Images)Rivian will deliver the first R2 SUVs to customers on June 9, with order invites and public demo drives also launching that day.Although the R2 configurator went live a few weeks ago, June 9 is when purchasing becomes official. Starting that day, Rivian will email reservation holders in batches with invitations to lock in a firm order; once placed, those orders are expected to result in a vehicle arriving at the customer's door within two to six weeks, according to Electrek. Two primary variables determine a customer's place in line for an invite: reservation date and distance from a Rivian Service and Demo Center, with those who reserved early and live nearby likely to hear first.Existing R1 owners are positioned for faster turnaround, though they are not placed at the front of the queue — their invites are folded into the general pool. For customers whose current vehicle lease is ending, Rivian can align delivery timing to that expiration date, provided any non-Rivian lease details have been added to the customer's account.AdvertisementAdvertisementWhich trim a customer ordered also affects timing: Launch Package vehicles will roll out ahead of the Premium, which is slated for late 2026, while the Standard version is not expected to ship until early 2027. June 9 will also be the first day members of the public can book and take demo drives at Rivian locations.The R2 starts at $57,990 for the Launch Package trim. Rivian has described a cheaper version starting "around $45,000" as coming later, though no sub-$50,000 configuration is expected before the first half of 2027. In the words of founder and CEO RJ Scaringe, the R2 represents "maybe the most important thing we've launched to date," as TechCrunch reported.Rivian said last month that saleable R2 production had begun at its Normal, Illinois, plant, with initial vehicles going to employees. Up to 25,000 R2s could reach customers before the calendar turns to 2027, with most of that output concentrated in the back half of the year, according to TechCrunch. Together with the R3 hatchback, the R2 is central to Rivian's long-held ambition of posting its first-ever profit.