Rivian Debuts Small R2, Even Smaller R3 Electric SUVs
Tech
Speaker 1: Rivian debut, not just one, but three new small electric SUVs today, and we're going to get a closer look at the all new Rivian R two, R three and R three x.
Speaker 1: Now the R two I expect will be rivian bread and butter when it arrives in early 2026 with a starting price of around $45,000. Now the design is very similar to that of the R one s with the same light bar, front and rear design and the brand sort of signature pill shaped headlamps [00:00:30] up front. There's also a FR underneath there if you are curious. Of course, the R two is smaller than the R one s. It's around 15 inches shorter from bumper to bumper, but its wheel base is only around 5.5 inches shorter, so it still keeps that wide long wheel based planted stance. But before you go thinking that this is just a select doll and scale version of the R one s, you should know that the R two platform underneath is new and it's built around a new battery pack with girthy or cells.
Speaker 1: Now, Rivian tells us that for all [00:01:00] of the configurations that this will be available in over Maurice's lifetime, single double and triple motor configurations, you're going to expect over 300 miles of range and the triple motor version with one motor in the front and two in the back can even do a zero to 60 sprint in under three seconds. Now, in addition to some of the thoughtful features that you've come to expect from Rivian trucks and SUVs like the flashlight that stores and charges in the door using one of the battery cells that's actually pulled out of the battery pack, you'll also find thoughtful new features [00:01:30] like a sliding rear glass that helps you get a bit of an open air feel when you're driving around. There's also dual glove compartments, a bit of a weird emission from the R one series that got a whole lot of excitement here at debut today.
Speaker 1: And there's also the fact that all of the thiefs, even the front two fold completely flat so you can load long items like surfboards or put an air mattress in there for enclosed camping. Rivian tells us that the R two will be built at its normal Illinois plant with the first example is reaching pre-orders holders in early 2026, and those pre-orders open today. [00:02:00] But there is of course one more thing now rivian. One more thing is actually two more things. Meet the R three and R three x, even smaller boys built on the R two platform. Now the wheel base here is around five inches shorter, even still than the R two, and it wraps over that wheel base, a sort of tall hatchback silhouette with a notchback design. It's got this sort of angular French rally car design that I just really love. Now both of them feature a dual actuating hatchback, so you [00:02:30] can open the whole hatchback up for a big old opening or just the rear glass if you want to, for example, hang along item out of the back or just get access to something quickly.
Speaker 1: Now the details are slim. All that we really know is that these are smaller versions of the R two platform and that they'll come with the same single dual and triple motor configurations. We don't know anything about price or availability yet. We do know that the R three X over there is going to be a more performance oriented version of the R three. It's got a taller ride height, a wider stance, more aggressive [00:03:00] tires, and a lot of orange details here. It's going to be, I presume, available only in that triple motor configuration for the best rally inspired performance. And on the inside you'll find that it's got more premium materials as well as rally race car inspired details. Again, no pricing or availability details about this one yet, but we imagine that either of these is probably going to start a little bit less than that 45,000 starting point for the R two. Be sure to head over to cnet.com to learn more about the R two, the R three, and the R three x [00:03:30] to get some expert opinions about all of them and to learn how they stack up against their very fierce competition. I'll meet you there.
