Tesla’s most direct rival, fellow American upstart, Rivian, has revealed a pair of new smaller electric off-roaders that will underpin its global expansion. The all-new R2 and R3 form the bases of the brand’s new ‘mid-size platform’ that sits beneath the established R1S and R1T, SUV and ute.
However, the star of the new platform is undoubtedly the new R3X, a rally-inspired, tri-motor, high-riding hot hatch that promises epic performance on both sealed roads and loose surfaces. Rivian hasn’t released full specifications yet, but has promised that the larger of two battery packs that will be available will provide more than 480km of driving range and take less than 3.0 seconds to run 0-60mph (0-96km/h).
READ MORE: Who is Rivian? What you need to know about the R1T and R1S
While the funky-looking R3X garners plenty of attention, the R2 is arguably the key to Rivian’s long-term future. The company is nowhere near Tesla in terms of sales volume, delivering just 13,972 vehicles in North America in 2023.
Which is why the R2 has been designed to take on Tesla’s big-selling Model Y, with the company promising that R2 will be priced from US$45,000, which is only $1010 more than the Tesla.
Rivian founder and CEO, RJ Scaringe, said that hitting a competitive price point was a major factor in the development of the new models, in particular the R2, in the hope it will lure buyers away from rival brands in the growing mid-size electric SUV segment.
“Our design and engineering teams are extremely focused on driving innovation into not only the product features but also our approach to manufacturing to achieve dramatically lower costs,” Scaringe said. “R2 provides buyers starting in the $45,000 price range with a much-needed choice with a thoroughly developed technology platform that is bursting with personality. I can’t wait to get these to customers.”
Those customers could include Australians too. Rivian has never hidden its interest in global expansion but until now has focused on establishing itself in North America. In announcing these three new models, the company’s statement made it clear that all three would be “available internationally following their North American launch.”
The R2 is expected to go on sale in North America in the first half of 2026, with the R3 and R3X following afterwards, avoiding a repeat of the challenges the company faced simultaneously launching the R1S and R1T.
That means Australians probably should expect Rivian models to start landing here until the end of the decade, but when they do they’ll add some off-road choice for EV buyers.
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