Rivian said today was the official launch of the R2, but what shocked people was that the company also showed off an even smaller SUV. The R3 is the brand’s third product for consumers. It’s a smaller, shorter crossover with a unique look that will appeal to a very different type of customer than the ones the brand has been after with its first two products.
There are five inches less of a length on the R3 than on the R2. Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe calls it a crossover instead of an SUV. This uses a changed version of the same platform, so it has the same battery size, performance choices, and estimated range as its bigger, blockier brother or sister. That also means it will come in single-motor, dual-motor, and three-motor versions. Some of the ones that are sold will be fast in a straight line, on top of everything else.
There isn’t much information about the performance, but the R3 models with the optional larger battery pack should have a range of over 300 miles. Tri-motor cars should be able to go from 0 to 60 mph in less than three seconds. They should also be able to go from 10% of their range to 80% in less than thirty minutes with DC fast charging from either a 350 kW native NACS or an adapter-allowed CCS charging system. More information won’t be available until the car is almost ready to be sold.
Retro Future: Eighties Box Gets a Modern Rivian Twist
The car has sharp lines, especially on the last frame and rear window, that make it look like an Eighties compact updated in Rivian’s style. In the same way that the Hyundai Ioniq 5 does, it has an angled two-box shape that makes it hard to tell the difference between a crossover and a hatchback.
A speed version takes the already stylish R3 to the next level by adding unique rally-inspired touches. The name of that car is R3X, and it should come out at the same time as the regular R3 hatchback.
Rivian says that deliveries of the R2 will start in early 2026 and then the R3 will follow. This means that buyers may have to wait more than two years to get the smallest Rivian model. The brand says the crossover will be less expensive than the bigger R2, but they haven’t said how much it will cost yet. That SUV is likely to start around the already amazing $45,000 mark.
