Clearing Up the Confusion Around Rivian R2 and LiDAR

Rivian R2

There’s been a lot of mixed messaging and confusion around how Rivian plans to launch R2, so I want to clearly lay out what we know today and how this rollout is actually going to work. Rivian will launch R2 in early 2026 with Gen 2 autonomy hardware. This is the same autonomy stack that’s currently shipping in today’s Gen…

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Why Rivian’s R2 LiDAR Timeline Risks the Osborne Effect

Rivian R2-D2

With Rivian confirming that LiDAR is coming to R2 in late 2026, but also making it clear that R2 deliveries begin in early 2026 without it, there’s an interesting business dynamic worth talking about, the Osborne effect. The Osborne effect is a classic concept in tech. It happens when a company announces a future product or major upgrade too early,…

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Rivian Autonomy & AI Day Breakdown: What R1 and R2 Vehicles Get and When

Rivian Autonomy & AI Day

Rivian dropped a ton of autonomy and AI news, so here’s the simplified version of what matters and how it breaks down by vehicle. R2 launches in early 2026 using the same Gen 2 Autonomy Computer found in today’s Gen 2 R1T and R1S. The new Rivian Autonomy Processor and Gen 3 Autonomy Computer do not arrive until late 2026,…

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Rivian Unveils Custom Silicon, R2 LiDAR Roadmap, Universal Hands Free, and Its Next Gen Autonomy Platform

Rivian R2-D2

RJ opened the first ever Autonomy and AI Day explaining why Rivian believes it is positioned to lead in this next phase of the industry. The company is leaning hard into compute, custom hardware, large scale AI systems, and a shared data foundation that touches every part of the ownership experience. Let’s break it all down. Meet the Rivian Autonomy…

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Why Rivian R2 Is Perfectly Positioned to Succeed in Europe

Rivian R2 (in Silver) in New York City

Rivian’s R2 might end up being an even bigger hit in Europe than it is in the US, and that feels very intentional rather than accidental. From the start, Rivian has said R2 was designed with Europe in mind. It is smaller, more efficient, and far better suited to European roads, city centers, and parking garages than the larger R1…

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