Rivian Says R2 Could Account for Nearly Half of 2026 Sales

Staying Positive

We’ve extensively covered over the past few months how the EV industry is facing challenging times. Sales haven’t been stellar, and this trend has been across the board, not isolated to one model or brand.

Despite this, certain brands have remained steadfast and optimistic. Jeep, for example, is still full steam ahead for the Recon model. Rivian is also still very excited about the launch of the upcoming R2, having already revealed targets for the year.

Mass Market First

A lot is riding on the Rivian R2; the EV startup brand has been teasing it heavily, and even using a Star Wars-themed approach to garner more interest in it. The fact is, though, that the R2 is Rivian’s first real mass-market model and is widely regarded as a make-or-break model.

Rivian CFO Claire McDonough said that the company plans to deliver 62,000-67,000 cars in 2026 across all models. Furthermore, she said the contributions of the R1 and commercial van models are expected to be roughly the same in 2025, at around 42,000 units.

Considering the 2026 target for the entire brand and the other models not named R2, it appears Rivian is going big for the R2, expecting a 20,000-plus increase in sales by the end of 2026. McDonough noted that the true sales spike for the R2 is expected in the second half of the year.

That’s a strong statement and shows Rivian’s confidence in the R2’s ability to anchor the brand’s sales going forward. In terms of specifications, the R2 will be offered in three possible configurations: single motor, dual motor, and tri motor.

Full Steam Ahead

According to reports, Rivian is set to offer the R2 for around the same price as a Tesla Model Y of $45,000. Production is set to begin soon with a Summer 2026 launch date around the corner. We even wrote about it possibly falling around May 4th, given the recent spotting of R2s in Star Wars livery being shot by a production team.

Also backing up McDonough’s statement was the founder and CEO himself, RJ Scaringe. He expects the R2 to account for the majority of sales volume by 2027. This aligns with the expansion of the Normal, Illinois factory, which will be capable of producing 215,000 units annually, 155,000 of which will be R2 models. There are even plans to move production to a new plant in Georgia by the end of the decade.