In March 2024, Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian (RIVN) unveiled a trio of compact EVs called the R2, R3, and R3X to mark an expansion of the brand’s lineup into lower-cost vehicles.
The first of the three vehicles set to launch is the R2, a smaller SUV styled like its bigger brother, the R1S. Rivian aims for this vehicle to compete against Tesla’s best-selling Model Y.
In its attempt to cast a wider net and a broader audience, Rivian states that the new car will have an effective electric range above 300 miles per charge and much of the clever tech lifted from its bigger R1 series of vehicles in a package that it targets to cost just $45,000.
R2 body built with production dies!! pic.twitter.com/lc3BYmuoYW
— RJ Scaringe (@RJScaringe) March 18, 2025
Rivian CEO drops a major update
After months of additional development and refinement to its prior prototypes shown at its March 2024 live-streamed showcase, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe shared in a series of recent posts on X (formerly known as Twitter).
On March 18, the Rivian CEO shared a photo of a raw-metal R2 body on a dolly, indicating that the company has reached a milestone in developing the production-ready version of the car.
“R2 body built with production dies!!,” Scaringe said. His post indicates that the company has successfully created significant exterior components from machine components at the factory, a sign that production is on track for a 2026 model-year debut.
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Scaringe’s post follows a prior post on March 13 that showed off some advanced production capabilities used by Tesla, its main rival.
According to Scaringe, Rivian is employing “large high-pressure die castings” throughout the structure of the R2’s body. This process is also known as “Gigacasting,” which Tesla uses to make large body components in the production of vehicles like the Model Y.
We are using large high pressure die castings throughout the R2 body structure — relative to R1, three castings in the rear eliminate approximately 50 stampings and over 300 joints from the body assembly! pic.twitter.com/W365jCFmAa
— RJ Scaringe (@RJScaringe) March 13, 2025
In this process, big casting machines apply a large volume of pressure to big pieces of formed metal to create large sections of a vehicle’s structure in one smooth, single piece. This enables automakers to easily create complex parts from one production process instead of workers or robots riveting or welding smaller stampings to create components like a subframe.
Here, Scaringe notes that just three castings eliminate the need to stamp “approximately 50” individual parts and weld “over 300 joints” to create large pieces of the R2’s body.
Related: Rivian CEO blames a Tesla product for the EV slowdown
The Rivian CEO’s announcement comes on the heels of some major developments within the adventure-focused EV brand.
Recently, a new over-the-air software update gave owners of its newer Gen 2 R1S and R1T vehicles new features, such as Enhanced Highway Assist, a new advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) that allows for hands-free driving for “extended periods” on compatible highways.
Rivian says it plans to enhance this feature with hands-off, eyes-off ADAS capabilities by next year.
Rivian is traded on the NASDAQ as RIVN
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