Rivian started production of its R2 electric SUV on April 22, 2026, at its Normal, Illinois plant, five days after an EF-1 tornado ripped through the same facility and collapsed part of the roof in the building dedicated to the model. No employees were injured in the April 17 storm, and Rivian paused R2 operations for several days before getting the line moving again.
The first R2 units rolling off the line will go to Rivian employees, with customer deliveries expected by the end of spring and broader configuration invitations planned for June. Rivian founder and chief executive RJ Scaringe said he was “beyond excited to start delivering to customers soon.”
The launch comes after Rivian completed a 1.1 million-square-foot expansion at Normal and began rolling validation units off the line in January. The first trim now entering production is the Performance Launch Edition, priced at $57,990 and built around a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup with 656 horsepower, an 87.9 kWh battery, 330 miles of EPA-rated range, a 3.6-second 0-60 time and a 4,400-pound towing capacity. It also includes lifetime access to Rivian’s Autonomy+ driver-assistance suite. The $45,000 base model will not arrive until late 2027.
Rivian revealed the full R2 lineup and pricing in March, setting up the vehicle as the one it needs to reach profitability. The company says higher-volume production expected in 2027 will cut the R2’s build cost to less than half the cost of the R1, while the Normal plant is being upgraded from 150,000 to 215,000 vehicles per year. That broader push matters because Rivian reported Q1 2026 production of 10,236 vehicles and deliveries of 10,365, with all of it coming from R1s and commercial vans, and it reaffirmed full-year delivery guidance of 62,000 to 67,000 vehicles.
There is still a gap between the launch and the volumes Rivian needs to make the new model move the business. BNP Paribas estimates the R2 will account for roughly 22,000 to 23,000 units in Rivian’s full-year deliveries, with fewer than 400 in the second quarter, about 7,000 in the third and around 15,000 in the fourth. The storm damage did not stop the launch, but it did expose how tightly the company’s most important new product is tied to one building, and how much rides on a ramp that has only just begun.