Rivian began officially handing over the first R2 SUVs to paying customers on Tuesday, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the buzzy all-electric automaker as it tries to reach mass-market scale.

Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe has said the R2 is “maybe the most important thing we’ve launched to date,” and it’s particularly crucial to the company’s ambitions in the world of autonomous vehicles.

Starting at around $58,000, the R2 takes a lot of what Rivian did with the R1 SUV and shrinks it down into a more approachable and affordable form factor. The company plans to offer a version of the R2 for less than $50,000, beginning in 2027. An even more stripped-down model will be available “around $45,000” later that year — making good on a price point Rivian has teased since it revealed the R2 in 2024.

The company is looking to ramp up both production and deliveries of the R2 through the second half of 2026. And Rivian is planning on the R2 being very successful from the jump: The company has said it will deliver between 20,000 and 25,000 R2 SUVs by the end of the year. If it accomplishes that feat, Rivian’s R2 would be one of the fastest-scaling EV launches in U.S. history.

From there, Rivian wants to build and sell hundreds of thousands of R2 SUVs per year. The company has begun production at its factory in Normal, Illinois, and is building a new factory in Georgia that will come online in late 2028.

The R2 arrives at an inflection point for electric vehicles in America. The Trump administration has weakened environmental regulations that put pressure on the auto industry to move away from gas engines. Congress also did away with a $7,500 federal tax credit that made new electric cars more affordable. Most of the legacy automakers have shelved or canceled plans for EVs in the U.S. Even industry leader Tesla’s sales are declining.

But sales of EVs are on the rise elsewhere around the world, and China is pumping out ultra-cheap sedans and crossovers that have some countries clamoring to bring them ashore. Earlier this year, Canada dramatically reduced its import tax on Chinese-made EVs in an attempt to fight climbing new car prices.

Scaringe has painted this environment as an opportunity for his company. With fewer new EVs on the market in the U.S., the R2 has a chance to become one of the most compelling options available, he’s reasoned in recent interviews.

Rivian is also pinning a lot of promises about autonomy on the R2. In December, the company laid out its vision for increasing the SUV’s autonomous capabilities over the next few years, and Rivian expects the R2 to eventually be able to drive itself. In March, Uber struck a deal with Rivian worth up to $1.25 billion that would allow as many as 40,000 R2 models to be used as robotaxis on the ride-hailing giant’s network.

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