Rivian on Thursday delivered what was anticipated—the R2 electrical SUV. After which it stole the R2’s stage with merchandise that followers, buyers, and EV buyers didn’t know they wanted: the Rivian R3 and R3X.

A short while after the reveal, I famous that whereas loads of followers had been trying out the R2, there was a frenzy across the R3. And Rivian executives themselves appeared stuffed with enthusiasm about these compact EVs—together with Rivian’s head designer Jeff Hammoud. 

“The factor I most love about R3 is I’ve requested fairly a number of folks, what sort of automobile would you name this? Is it a hatch or an SUV? And no one actually has a solution, and that’s nice.”

Sizzling hatch, rally automobile, path runner? The entire above

“After I was first speaking about this with RJ we had been going by the conception of it and the dialog we had was simply, like, I don’t wish to fall right into a phase, I need folks to only say it’s an R3,” recalled Hammoud, in a Q&A session with media. “And I believe we’ve achieved that.”

Hammoud added that with the high-performance R3X model, the aim was merely one thing that’s actually enjoyable. “Hopefully you guys have a look at it and agree that, like, I don’t know what it’s however I simply wish to drive that.”

Rivian R3X

To me, standing between the 2, it was onerous to consider the R2 and R3 share so many frequent cues—even their front-end look—as they impress as fully totally different design statements and personalities. The R3 follows within the footsteps of eccentric hatchbacks just like the Lada Niva and Golf Nation however might additionally win the hearts of many Subaru Crosstrek house owners. 

The R3 household measures 170.3 inches lengthy and rides on a 110.2-inch wheelbase. That makes it about 15 inches shorter than the R2, which is in itself about 15 inches shorter in size than the R1S. 

What that quantities to is the center of the European market, or one thing that might jumpstart a stagnant U.S. small-car market—particularly with respect to EVs.

Right this moment, these dimensions roughly align, by size, with the Hyundai Kona Electrical, Volkswagen ID.3, Renault Megane E-Tech, or MG4, amongst EVs. And likewise, it’s successfully in the identical measurement class because the Toyota Corolla hatchback, the Volkswagen Golf, the Škoda Octavia, the Ford Focus, or the Seat León. But it surely seems to be extra thrilling than any of them—or, in fact, an American-market Bolt EV or Leaf.

We’ll have to attend a bit. If the R2 arrives in early 2026, an R3 may observe comparatively quickly after—maybe in 2027. Sadly, the timeline for the next-generation Bolt EV and Leaf is not wanting significantly better, previous Tesla’s ever-flaky timelines suggesting the arrival of a compact Tesla Mannequin 2 earlier than then. Whereas Rivian confirmed that it desires to make the R3, it did not verify when it’d take reservations or the place, for certain, it may be bought.

Rivian R2

Vary and battery particulars but to return

These fashions share the 4695-format cylindrical cells, packaged inside a structural battery pack. Rivian didn’t but communicate to vary for the R3, however Hammoud did communicate a bit to charging. The automobiles proven Thursday all had their NACS cost ports on the rear proper quadrant, below a tidy little flush cowl. 

“We did a number of analysis and particularly in left-hand-drive nations in Europe,” mentioned Hammoud, when requested why it’s there—volunteering that Europe was certainly a giant consideration. “We noticed lots of people charging automobiles on the road, and also you’d see something from charging cables wrapped over hoods to get to the opposite facet, and we wished to resolve that.” 

Rivian R3

“The opposite factor is, constructing off our present charging community, it’s within the entrance driver’s facet,” he defined. “So when you’re gonna flip the automobile again into the area, basically the very same location.” 

Placing the port there, Hammoud summed, additionally means much less wires, much less weight, and fewer price—for the entire R2/R3 household

Which ends up in a degree. In keeping with Hammoud, though the R3 and R2 don’t have shared sheetmetal, there are a number of shared factors between the interiors of those two fashions that make it simpler from a producing viewpoint. Identical steering wheel, our display methods, the middle console, the seat frames. 

Rivian R2

R2 design didn’t come really easy

Whereas from the sound of it the design of the R3 was enjoyable, the R2 design course of sounded extra fraught as described by Hammoud—because it tapped into the expectations of those that beloved what they noticed within the R1 however wished one thing extra inexpensive or extra sensibly sized.

The R1 was designed by addition, Hammoud recalled, however the R2 concerned much more debate about what it didn’t need R2 to subtract, and what the important thing parts had been that it wanted to hold over. That’s no shock; Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe has mentioned at a number of factors that the follow-up could have much less complexity than its R1 lineup and be a lot simpler to construct. 

Rivian juggled wheelbase size and the location of the glass roof and pillar in order to maximise rear headroom and spaciousness, whereas European pedestrian safety requirements performed a job, too, requiring a line along with the hood, which was then included into the design itself.

As Inexperienced Automotive Experiences lined with the debut yesterday, the Rivian R2 lands in early 2026 with a goal worth round $45,000, beginning with single-motor rear-wheel drive however stepping as much as two- and three-motor AWD variations providing a variety of greater than 300 miles (much less in base kind, it’s since been mentioned), and in some circumstances 0-60 mph occasions under 3.0 seconds. The crew ended up with an general size round 185 inches lengthy and using on a 121.1-inch wheelbase, with an general top of 66.9 inches and width round 75 inches. 

Rivian R2

In keeping with Hammoud, the R2 builds off the profile of the R1S, though the general proportions of the automobile are “much more athletic” with very quick entrance and rear overhangs. As proven it had 32-inch all-terrain rubber, and the truck’s 25-degree method angle, 27-degree departure angle, and 9.8-inch floor clearance gave it a stocky, trail-ready look. 

In the meantime, shorter automobiles can pose extra of an aerodynamic problem, and so getting that half proper for maximizing vary with smaller battery packs was in fact a precedence. “We had been working very intently with our aerodynamics crew, doing CFD (computational fluid dynamics) evaluation actually early on, based on Hammoud, to know the important thing attributes required for vary. Within the R2’s case, a kind of is the way in which the roofline drops toad the again, bringing airflow by a pass-through spoiler. 

The massive subtraction objects are the suspension. One which raises or lowers is not coming to R2, though Rivian made certain to offer it a tune that may work for on- and off-road and permit the aptitude through floor clearance. The R2 provides a floor clearance of 9.8 inches, whereas the R1S, with its adjustable air suspension and as much as 14.9 inches, stays safe in its high off-roader spot for the model. 

And there aren’t any plans for a 3rd row within the R2. “To have a 3rd row for R2 would make the bundle very tight.”

Rivian R2

Plenty of innovation inside R2

That mentioned, there’s some severe innovation within the packaging within the R2—just like the entrance and rear seats that fold absolutely flat, permitting sufficient steady size to move very lengthy mission objects like 16-foot baseboard trim with it resting on the liftgate’s rim (the glass rolls down). As soon as that window’s down, don’t neglect concerning the little desk good for drinks or the nice bits as you gear up to your out of doors exercise of alternative. And canines are seemingly going to like the breeze from the pop-out panel home windows in again. 

On the journey entrance the R2 boasts a wholly new type of bike-rack system that may be put up with one particular person and saved away way more simply. Rivian plans to supply each a mattress to sit down on that flat ground and a rooftop tent, and a revised camp kitchen is within the works. 

R1S complicated split-tailgate setup was one of the crucial troublesome objects to resolve for R2. Homeowners actually just like the R1S tailgate and “having the ability to sit there and mainly have slightly awning there to cowl you if it’s raining,” he described, however it’s price and complexity. So Rivian’s answer, with a one-piece liftgate, was a pull-out tray you could sit on. 

Interface-wise, the steering wheel and its giant rotary dials had been touted in a number of situations. With it, two haptic-twist controllers throughout the wheel use differing kinds and ranges of haptic suggestions relying on what you’re scrolling by or choosing in the mean time.

Rivian R3

Rivian R3

Rivian R3

R2, R3, R3X made for a similar meeting line?

“A number of work went into designing R3 and R2 collectively to ensure as a platform, a number of the elements are shared, a number of community structure is clearly shared,” mentioned Hammoud, and that extends to manufacturing and the availability chain. 

R2 wlll be slightly extra dynamically centered towards on-road efficiency than R1, Hammoud summed, whereas R3 would be the most centered on-road of the three. 

Hammoud pointed to the world behind the rear wheel of the R2 and famous that when the automobile will get broken that’s simply an injection-molded half and straightforward to interchange. And, he mentioned, there are additionally a number of shared factors between the interiors of the R2 and R3 that makes it simpler from a producing viewpoint—like the identical steering wheel, display methods, middle console, and seat frames. 

Primarily through the time Rivian was revealing the R2, R3, and R3X on Thursday, the corporate confirmed a whopper of a producing announcement. It should pause development on its $5 billion Georgia manufacturing facility, which had up till then been set for a 2026 ramp and an eventual 400,000 automobiles per 12 months, in favor of a “capital environment friendly launch” first at its Illinois plant, for deliveries beginning in early 2026. Georgia stays a part of the plan, simply later, in order to protect the funds that may be wanted to maintain these fashions headed towards manufacturing. 

Certain, the R3 household may be a shiny shock to distract from some sobering monetary realities on the firm. But it surely deserves all the eye it will get and reveals that Rivian has a number of innovation but to return.