R2 Launch Edition Paint Options, Borealis Skipped and Forest Green Coming Later

The R2 Launch Edition won’t get Borealis. Rivian confirmed it today, and it’s a small but worth-noting detail for anyone who’s been eyeing the color since the reveal. Borealis is going to live on the R2 Performance trim instead, and even though Launch Edition is based on Performance, the option lists aren’t identical. Borealis sits on the Performance side of that line.

That’s the kind of thing that catches people off guard, because Launch Edition has been pitched as the loaded, top-end version of R2 you can actually get first. And it mostly is. But the paint palette is its own thing, and Borealis isn’t part of it at launch.

Forest Green is still happening though. Rivian confirmed what we reported earlier this weekend, that Forest Green is coming to Launch Edition later this year. So if you wanted something a little more grounded than what’s on the launch sheet, there’s a path, you just have to wait it out.

Coastal Cloud Signature is the more interesting wrinkle. Rivian hinted it might show up on Launch Edition later this year too, which would be a bit of a surprise given that Signature finishes usually live higher up the trim ladder. Nothing’s locked in yet, but the door’s open, and that one would be a real win for early Launch Edition buyers if it actually lands.

One more pricing note worth flagging while we’re on the topic of paint. Esker Silver is going to be the only no-cost color on R2. Everything else, including the colors that show up later, is going to cost extra. That’s been the pattern on R1 too, so it’s not a shock, but it’s worth keeping in mind when people start mentally pricing out their builds.

The piece nobody’s answering yet is how many Launch Edition R2s Rivian is actually planning to build. There’s no number out there. That’s the variable that decides whether the missing Borealis option matters in any real way, or whether it’s a small footnote for people who were never realistically getting a Launch Edition slot to begin with.

For the rest of what isn’t on Launch Edition at launch, the full breakdown is over here.