Could Rivian R3 EV revive a stagnant small-car market?

Rivian on Thursday delivered what was anticipated—the R2 electric SUV. After which it stole the R2’s stage with merchandise that followers, buyers, and EV consumers didn’t know they wanted: the Rivian R3 and R3X.

A short while after the reveal, I famous that whereas loads of followers had been trying out the R2, there was a frenzy across the R3. And Rivian executives themselves appeared stuffed with enthusiasm about these compact EVs—together with Rivian’s head designer Jeff Hammoud. 

“The factor I most love about R3 is I’ve requested fairly a number of folks, what sort of automobile would you name this? Is it a hatch or an SUV? And no one actually has a solution, and that’s nice.”

Scorching hatch, rally automobile, path runner? The entire above

“After I was first speaking about this with RJ we had been going by means of the conception of it and the dialog we had was simply, like, I don’t wish to fall right into a section, I need folks to simply say it’s an R3,” recalled Hammoud, in a Q&A session with media. “And I feel we’ve achieved that.”

Hammoud added that with the high-performance R3X model, the aim was merely one thing that’s actually enjoyable. “Hopefully you guys take a look at it and agree that, like, I don’t know what it’s however I simply wish to drive that.”

To me, standing between the 2, it was exhausting to consider the R2 and R3 share so many widespread cues—even their front-end look—as they impress as fully completely different design statements and personalities. The R3 follows within the footsteps of eccentric hatchbacks just like the Lada Niva and Golf Nation however may additionally win the hearts of many Subaru Crosstrek homeowners. 

The R3 household measures 170.3 inches lengthy and rides on a 110.2-inch wheelbase. That makes it about 15 inches shorter than the R2, which is in itself about 15 inches shorter in size than the R1S. 

What that quantities to is the guts of the European market, or one thing that might jumpstart a stagnant U.S. small-car market—particularly with respect to EVs.

In the present day, these dimensions roughly align, by size, with the Hyundai Kona Electric, Volkswagen ID.3, Renault Megane E-Tech, or MG4, amongst EVs. And likewise, it’s successfully in the identical dimension class because the Toyota Corolla hatchback, the Volkswagen Golf, the Škoda Octavia, the Ford Focus, or the Seat León. However it appears to be like extra thrilling than any of them—or, after all, an American-market Bolt EV or Leaf.

We’ll have to attend a bit. If the R2 arrives in early 2026, an R3 may observe comparatively quickly after—maybe in 2027. Sadly, the timeline for the next-generation Bolt EV and Leaf is not trying significantly better, previous Tesla’s ever-flaky timelines suggesting the arrival of a compact Tesla Model 2 earlier than then. Whereas Rivian confirmed that it desires to make the R3, it did not verify when it would take reservations or the place, for certain, it could be offered.

Vary and battery particulars but to return

These fashions share the 4695-format cylindrical cells, packaged inside a structural battery pack. Rivian didn’t but converse to vary for the R3, however Hammoud did converse a bit to charging. The autos proven Thursday all had their NACS cost ports on the rear proper quadrant, below a tidy little flush cowl. 

“We did quite a lot of analysis and particularly in left-hand-drive international locations in Europe,” stated Hammoud, when requested why it’s there—volunteering that Europe was certainly a giant consideration. “We noticed lots of people charging vehicles on the road, and also you’d see something from charging cables wrapped over hoods to get to the opposite facet, and we needed to unravel that.” 

“The opposite factor is, constructing off our present charging community, it’s within the entrance driver’s facet,” he defined. “So for those who’re gonna flip the automobile again into the house, basically the very same location.” 

Placing the port there, Hammoud summed, additionally means much less wires, much less weight, and fewer value—for the entire R2/R3 household

Which results in a degree. In keeping with Hammoud, though the R3 and R2 don’t have shared sheetmetal, there are quite a lot of shared factors between the interiors of those two fashions that make it simpler from a producing viewpoint. Identical steering wheel, our display methods, the middle console, the seat frames. 

R2 design didn’t come really easy

Whereas from the sound of it the design of the R3 was enjoyable, the R2 design course of sounded extra fraught as described by Hammoud—because it tapped into the expectations of those that liked what they noticed within the R1 however needed one thing extra inexpensive or extra sensibly sized.

The R1 was designed by means of addition, Hammoud recalled, however the R2 concerned much more debate about what it didn’t need R2 to subtract, and what the important thing parts had been that it wanted to hold over. That’s no shock; Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe has stated at a number of factors that the follow-up can have much less complexity than its R1 lineup and be a lot simpler to construct. 

Rivian juggled wheelbase size and the location of the glass roof and pillar in order to maximise rear headroom and spaciousness, whereas European pedestrian safety requirements performed a task, too, requiring a line together with the hood, which was then integrated into the design itself.

As Inexperienced Automobile Reviews lined with the debut yesterday, the Rivian R2 lands in early 2026 with a goal worth round $45,000, beginning with single-motor rear-wheel drive however stepping as much as two- and three-motor AWD variations providing a spread of greater than 300 miles (much less in base type, it’s since been stated), and in some instances 0-60 mph occasions beneath 3.0 seconds. The group ended up with an general size round 185 inches lengthy and driving on a 121.1-inch wheelbase, with an general peak of 66.9 inches and width round 75 inches. 

In keeping with Hammoud, the R2 builds off the profile of the R1S, though the general proportions of the car are “much more athletic” with very quick entrance and rear overhangs. As proven it had 32-inch all-terrain rubber, and the truck’s 25-degree strategy angle, 27-degree departure angle, and 9.8-inch floor clearance gave it a stocky, trail-ready look. 

In the meantime, shorter autos can pose extra of an aerodynamic problem, and so getting that half proper for maximizing vary with smaller battery packs was after all a precedence. “We had been working very carefully with our aerodynamics group, doing CFD (computational fluid dynamics) evaluation actually early on, in keeping with Hammoud, to grasp the important thing attributes required for vary. Within the R2’s case, a type of is the best way the roofline drops toad the again, bringing airflow by means of a pass-through spoiler. 

The massive subtraction objects are the suspension. One which raises or lowers is not coming to R2, though Rivian made certain to offer it a tune that will work for on- and off-road and permit the aptitude by way of floor clearance. The R2 gives a floor clearance of 9.8 inches, whereas the R1S, with its adjustable air suspension and as much as 14.9 inches, stays safe in its prime off-roader spot for the model. 

And there aren’t any plans for a 3rd row within the R2. “To have a 3rd row for R2 would make the bundle very tight.”

A number of innovation inside R2

That stated, there may be some severe innovation within the packaging within the R2—just like the entrance and rear seats that fold absolutely flat, permitting sufficient steady size to move very lengthy challenge objects like 16-foot baseboard trim with it resting on the liftgate’s rim (the glass rolls down). As soon as that window’s down, don’t overlook concerning the little desk good for drinks or the high-quality bits as you gear up to your out of doors exercise of alternative. And canines are probably going to like the breeze from the pop-out panel home windows in again. 

On the journey entrance the R2 boasts a wholly new sort of bike-rack system that may be put up with one individual and saved away rather more simply. Rivian plans to supply each a mattress to take a seat on that flat ground and a rooftop tent, and a revised camp kitchen is within the works. 

R1S advanced split-tailgate setup was one of the crucial troublesome objects to unravel for R2. Homeowners actually just like the R1S tailgate and “having the ability to sit there and mainly have just a little awning there to cowl you if it’s raining,” he described, however it’s value and complexity. So Rivian’s answer, with a one-piece liftgate, was a pull-out tray which you could sit on. 

Interface-wise, the steering wheel and its massive rotary dials had been touted in a number of situations. With it, two haptic-twist controllers throughout the wheel use differing kinds and ranges of haptic suggestions relying on what you’re scrolling by means of or choosing in the mean time.

R2, R3, R3X made for a similar meeting line?

“Numerous work went into designing R3 and R2 collectively to verify as a platform, quite a lot of the elements are shared, quite a lot of community structure is clearly shared,” stated Hammoud, and that extends to manufacturing and the availability chain. 

R2 wlll be just a little extra dynamically centered towards on-road efficiency than R1, Hammoud summed, whereas R3 would be the most centered on-road of the three. 

Hammoud pointed to the realm behind the rear wheel of the R2 and famous that when the car will get broken that’s simply an injection-molded half and simple to switch. And, he stated, there are additionally quite a lot of shared factors between the interiors of the R2 and R3 that makes it simpler from a producing viewpoint—like the identical steering wheel, display methods, middle console, and seat frames. 

Primarily throughout the time Rivian was revealing the R2, R3, and R3X on Thursday, the corporate confirmed a whopper of a producing announcement. It can pause building on its $5 billion Georgia factory, which had up till then been set for a 2026 ramp and an eventual 400,000 autos per 12 months, in favor of a “capital environment friendly launch” first at its Illinois plant, for deliveries beginning in early 2026. Georgia stays a part of the plan, simply later, in order to protect the funds that could be wanted to maintain these fashions headed towards manufacturing. 

Positive, the R3 household could be a shiny shock to distract from some sobering monetary realities on the firm. However it deserves all the eye it will get and reveals that Rivian has numerous innovation but to return.