American firm created the Model Y-rivalling R2 SUV with Europe in mind
Rivian is planning a UK launch as part of an expansion into Europe and will offer its upcoming R2 SUV in right-hand drive.
To date, the US firm has operated only in North America with two electric models: the near-£60,000 R1S SUV and the related R1T pick-up truck.
But last year it revealed the smaller (4.7m-long) and more affordable R2, which was developed with European exports in mind.
Speaking to Autocar at the recent Munich motor show, Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe said the R2 would arrive in the first half of 2026 in North America, priced from around $45,000 (£33,000), and a European launch would follow.
Rivian plans to bring the R2 to the UK once lefthand-drive models are in mainland Europe, but there is no UK launch date yet.
The R2 is a Tesla Model Y rival with more than 300 miles of range and standard single-motor rear-wheel drive or optional dual-motor four-wheel drive.
There is no launch date for the closely related R3, which is smaller than the R2 and styled more like a raised hatchback. Rivian has also shown a tri-motor performance version, the rally-raid-style R3X (pictured below).
Scaringe said his brand would be positioned in Europe as one that “remains highly aspirational but highly attainable”. He continued: “Those things don’t often go together. Often when you see the price go down, you see the desirability drop off. But this is what makes our R2 and R3 so interesting: they’re inviting and attainable in their pricing but they still feel very special.
“They feel like every decision was thought about by someone who loves their job and loves what they’re doing in a way that often you don’t get in a sub-$40,000 car, where a lot of times it feels like somebody was just doing their job, ticking boxes and following a book of requirements versus debating every single piece of content, material selection and panel. We are loving every one of those decisions to make it feel like it’s really curated.”
The R2 will share a second-generation technology platform with the R1 siblings, which were extensively updated last year to be easier to manage and update in future.
Rivian’s cutting-edge approach to softwaredefi ned vehicles consolidates the platform’s ECUs into a smaller number of them across three distinct zones.
This system is also being used by the Volkswagen Group as part of a near $6 billion deal, and a version of it will appear first in the ID 1 and related models in 2026.
“The technology platform has become very, very robust and very scalable and has the benefi t of a lot of volume against it, not just from our two [cars] but also from the ID 1 and through the whole portfolio of Volkswagen Group products,” said Scaringe.
“It’s giving us the sourcing leverage we never had before, but importantly we’re really pushing the boundaries on how much we can optimise on cost, on in-vehicle experience and how we integrate and optimise around a high level of artificial intelligence.”
Scaringe said that while the Volkswagen Group deal presented huge opportunities and advantages to the technology side of the business, it wouldn’t limit Rivian’s own lofty manufacturing ambitions.
“Our goal is to build many millions of units a year,” he said. “We’ve often said we’d like to eventually grow in the markets we’re in to at least 10% market share.”
The focus will remain on North America and Europe to achieve that goal, with China not on Rivian’s radar.
It currently has one manufacturing plant in Illinois and building work will soon begin on another in Georgia. Scaringe said European production is a long-term objective.
