US firm arriving in 2026 with rivals to the Model Y and Niro – including a rally performance variant
CHARLIE MARTIN
American EV maker Rivian is gearing up to enter Europe with a brace of strikingly styled electric crossovers called the R2 and R3 – the latter of which will spawn a rally-inspired performance model.
The unexpected addition to the R2 unveiling event last week, dubbed the R3X, was confirmed to pack a tri-motor powertrain – a configuration used by the 1000bhp-plus Lucid Air Sapphire and Tesla Model S super-saloons.
It wears thick-walled off-road tyres that sit prouder of the body than on the regular R3, hinting that its dynamic character will be more like that of the Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato than a conventional hot crossover.
The R3X was unveiled beside the regular R3 and the larger R2 crossover, which will be the first of the three new Rivian models to arrive.
The R2 is earmarked for an American launch in the first half of 2026, with international sales following shortly after.
It is pitched as a rugged five-seater “optimised for big adventures”, offering a completely flat-folding interior and a powered rear screen that slides into the bootlid for an open-air cabin, like on the Fisker Ocean.
The R2 is sized roughly in line with the Tesla Model Y, at 4.7m long and 1.7m high, with a 2.9m wheelbase.
Three powertrains will be available, with Rivian aiming to offer a balance of outright performance and off-road capability. Entry-level cars will get a single, rear-mounted motor. Then there’s a dualmotor, four-wheel-drive powertrain. And the hottest variants will get the three-motor set-up from the R3X, with the additional motor located on the rear axle.
All versions of the R2 will yield more than 300 miles of range between charges, and the quickest-accelerating variants will dispatch the 0-60mph sprint in less than 3.0sec.
Pricing for the R2 will open at $45,000 (£35,000) in the US, aiming it squarely at the Model Y and Hyundai Ioniq
