RJ Scaringe Teases R2X and Additional R2 Variants from Georgia Plant

RJ Scaringe just confirmed in an interview with Reuters that Rivian is working on undisclosed variants of the R2, which lines up with what a lot of us have been suspecting for a while. The comments come just days after R2 volume production officially started in Normal, with first customer deliveries targeted for around June.

The most interesting part of the interview was when RJ got asked specifically about a pickup variant. He didn’t confirm one outright but he didn’t shut the door either. “What we’re building in Georgia allows for different variations,” he said, referring to the upcoming plant where R2 production will eventually expand. He also added that “clearly there could be an R2X” before catching himself and saying he wants to be careful not to announce the program.

That kind of phrasing is about as close to a confirmation as we ever really get from Rivian.

None of this is shocking. We’ve known additional R2 variants were coming ever since the R3X was unveiled alongside the R3 at the original R2 reveal. Applying that same performance playbook to the R2 has felt like a matter of when, not if. An R2 RAD Edition also feels like a natural fit somewhere down the road, especially with Rivian leaning harder into the RAD sub-brand for off-road focused builds.

And then there’s the pickup question. An R2T isn’t something RJ has publicly committed to, but the demand for a smaller Rivian pickup has been there since basically the day the R1T launched. An R2 sized truck would land right in Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz territory, except with an electric powertrain and a Rivian interior. Plenty of R1T owners have already said they’d take a smaller version in a heartbeat if the price was right.

The fact that RJ mentioned the R2X by name and then immediately tried to walk it back is the kind of slip that usually means a program is further along internally than the public messaging suggests. R2 deliveries are still the priority though, and Rivian needs that first wave of customer cars to go smoothly before any of these other variants really matter.