Rivian R2 and R3/R3X Up Close: Rivian’s Next Act

U.S. electric automaker Rivian has created some of the most impressive vehicles on the market right now, with its all-electric R1T pickup truck and R1S three-row SUV. While production has been slower than hoped and sales have been a bit of a struggle, the company’s first efforts are outstanding products and were given a refresh for 2025. But what comes after the big R1 models? Rivian took the wraps off its future product lineup earlier in March, but we just had a good up-close look at the new Rivian R2 SUV coming in early 2026, and the R3 and R3X coming sometime after the R2 arrives.
Smaller than the big R1 models, the R2 and R3 are built on a totally new mid-size platform, using a lot of what Rivian’s learned in designing and building the R1s in creating lighter, less expensive models to expand its appeal to a lot more buyers.
Cars.com Detroit Bureau Chief Aaron Bragman recently had an up-close, personal tour of the new R2, R3 and R3X at Rivian’s engineering facility in suburban Detroit, and he came away massively impressed with what’s coming down the pipe. And now that Rivian has secured some much-needed funding thanks to a billion-dollar buy-in from Volkswagen, the likelihood of the company surviving the two years it needs to finally engineer and build these next-generation EVs is much more probable. Have a look at the next generation of Rivian EVs, coming in early 2026, in the video above.
Read more about the Rivian R2: www.cars.com/articles/rivian-...
Read more about the Rivian R3 and R3X: www.cars.com/articles/rivian-...
Research and compare the 2024 Rivian lineup:
www.cars.com/research/rivian/
Find a new or used Rivian for sale near you:
www.cars.com/shopping/rivian/
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:11 R2 details and exterior style
2:42 R2 powertrains
3:25 Inside the R2
6:01 R3 details and exterior style
6:59 R3X: the one everyone wants
7:56 Pricing possibilities
8:19 Questions, questions
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