It'll be a sad day for pun and pop-culture-loving journalists if an official Rivian R2D2 doesn't happen. But there will be other variants of the company's newest SUV. Ironically, one of them might not even be an SUV.According to Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe, there are all kinds of possibilities for the new R2 midsize SUV. It seems logical since the company's first vehicle, the R1, serves both as an SUV and a pickup truck. A smaller R2 truck could certainly have some appeal, but a performance version could be in the works, too. R2 Pickup Unclear, R2X Mentioned By Name Rivian Scaringe's remarks surfaced when asked about the possibility of an R2 pickup, but Scaringe didn't want to commit. "I want to be careful not to announce the program," he told Reuters. "There are other variants of R2, which we haven't shown. He goes on to talk about how Rivian's Georgia plant, once complete, will be able to build variants of its models. "So clearly there could be an R2X," Scaringe said.A pickup truck seems an obvious, safe choice, despite Scaringe not confirming anything outright. Making a specific mention of the R2X could be a very interesting slip-up, possibly indicating that such a vehicle is already on the drawing board. An X version of the R1 (R1X) was long believed to be in the works, possibly making over 1,200 with an off-road focus. So yeah, any talk of an R2X has our attention.What Scaringe wants to concentrate on right now, though, is the initial rollout of the $58,000 R2 model, which will be followed by a $45,000 trim with over 275 miles of range. Rivian has been working hard on engineering the R2 to be more cost-effective and, ultimately, more affordable than its initial premium-segment R1 SUV and truck.With the R2 rolling out, Rivian is predicting a 53% jump in deliveries this year, which would be around 22,000 to 23,000 R2 models sold in 2026. As Reuters points out, that assumes a steady demand and a smooth production ramp up in uncertain times for EVs. The tax incentives have already been struck down by the Trump administration, but gas prices remain high in the US due to the war with Iran. At this point, it's impossible to predict how the EV market will play out throughout the rest of the year. Other Irons In The Fire Rivian Rivian is starting to look positive though, and isn't relying purely on the short term of consumer EVs. It's developing technology with the Volkswagen Group that will be used in non-Rivian vehicles as well. Rivian is also producing electric vans, primarily for Amazon – the largest retail company in the world. On top of that, Rivian has a $1.25 billion robotaxi deal with Uber that is slated to deploy 10,000 fully autonomous R2 vehicles from 2028.At this point, Rivian is the most interesting EV company out there, and has been playing the long game incredibly well. While it's thought of as being a startup, it was founded in 2009, making it 16 years old. After gaining large investments, Rivian started opening research facilities in California and Michigan to start its bid on having a big impact on the automotive industry.Rivian bought a former Mitsubishi production plant in 2016, did a massive deal with Amazon in 2019, and finally began shipments of the R1 truck in June 2021. In 2022, Rivian started a deal with Mercedes to partner in a European factory to produce large commercial electric vans, then in 2024 made a $5 billion dollar deal with the Volkswagen Group to develop technology. And since 2021, Rivian has been working to make the R2 a relatively affordable electric SUV for the mass market.Source: Reuters
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