Rivian R2 Sales Outpace Older Models Despite High Entry Price

The new Rivian R2 is already outselling the older R1T pickup, the R1S SUV combined, and the company's delivery vans. Rivian shared this update during its third-quarter earnings call. These strong numbers come even though buyers can currently only purchase the most expensive R2 Performance trim, which has a starting price of $59,485. Cheaper options like the $55,485 Premium trim and the $46,485 base model are not available yet. Rivian's website lists the R2 Premium for late 2026, while the standard model is planned for sometime next year. Even at its current highest price, the R2 costs much less than the R1T and R1S, which start at $81,885 and $85,885 respectively.

Growth

The smaller SUV helped Rivian grow its sales by 46 percent compared to the same time last year. The company delivered 19,248 vehicles in the third quarter alone. Because of the strong R2 demand, Rivian raised its yearly sales target to between 67,000 and 70,000 vehicles, up from an earlier upper estimate. Rivian did not share the exact number of R2 vehicles sold, but had previously set a production goal of 20,000 vehicles for the year before production began.

Context

Electric vehicle makers often launch their most expensive and feature-packed trims first to attract early buyers and higher profit margins before rolling out cheaper mass-market versions. Rivian operates in the fast-growing electric vehicle sector where consumer demand for smaller, more affordable SUVs heavily influences overall company growth.