Rivian surprised a room full of journalists at the South Coast Theater in Laguna Beach this week with the R3—a crossover based on the compact SUV the R2 also announced at the same press event.
The R3 is five inches shorter than the R2’s 115.6-inch wheelbase, but comes with the same options of a Single, Dual, or even Tri Motors. If you go with three motors you’ll get a crossover with a 3 second 0 to 60 time. That’s absolutely bonkers. The all-new 4,695-cell battery delivers over 300 miles [482km] of range on a single charge for both R2 and R3. With a fast charger, owners will be able to get to 80 percent of battery life in just 30 minutes. No word on Australian availability just yet for any Rivian, however.
Like the larger Rivians, the new smaller vehicle comes with all sorts of neat storage features. Along with Rivian’s classic frunk the R3 has an automatic hatchback with a lifting back window the company calls “flipper glass.”
“We are so excited about what this sort of delivers beyond what we see in R2,” said Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe. “It takes the package of R2 and the platform, shrinks it, and is our take on what is a crossover. It’s a vehicle that is almost hard to define what it is.”
Under the skin, the R3 is pretty much same the R2. Both ride on an all new midsized platform, which our own Daniel Golson was able to see in person:
The R2 rides on a brand new platform that uses a 4695-cell battery pack, with bigger cells than R1. Single-motor (RWD), dual-motor (AWD) and tri-motor (AWD) variants will be offered, with the top-end model able to run from 0 to 60 mph in “well under” 3 seconds. Every motor configuration will achieve more than 300 miles [482km] of range and can charge from 10 to 80 percent in less than 30 minutes, and the R2 will use the NACS charge port.
It’s a sweet little guy shaped like a friend, but unlike the R2, no pricing or release date has been announced. The R2 will start at $US45,000 and will begin rolling off the production line in Normal, Illinois early in 2026. That likely means a long wait for this little guy, but it might just be worth waiting for – probably an even longer wait for Aussies, if it comes down under at all.
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