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

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

A short while after the reveal, I famous that whereas loads of followers have been testing 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 individuals, what sort of automotive 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 automotive, path runner? The entire above

“After I was first speaking about this with RJ we have 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 would like individuals to only 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 purpose 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 frequent cues—even their front-end look—as they impress as utterly totally different design statements and personalities. The R3 follows within the footsteps of eccentric hatchbacks just like the Lada Niva and Golf Nation however might 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 center of the European market, or one thing that might jumpstart a stagnant U.S. small-car market—particularly with respect to EVs.

Immediately, these dimensions roughly align, by size, with the Hyundai Kona Electrical, 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. But it surely seems to be extra thrilling than any of them—or, in fact, an American-market Bolt EV or Leaf.

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

Vary and battery particulars but to come back

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

“We did numerous analysis and particularly in left-hand-drive international locations in Europe,” stated Hammoud, when requested why it’s there—volunteering that Europe was certainly an enormous 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 in the event you’re gonna flip the automotive again into the house, primarily 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 some extent. In line with Hammoud, though the R3 and R2 don’t have shared sheetmetal, there are numerous 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 beloved 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 components have 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 could have much less complexity than its R1 lineup and be a lot simpler to construct. 

Rivian juggled wheelbase size and the position 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 along with the hood, which was then included into the design itself.

As Inexperienced Automotive Studies coated 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 instances beneath 3.0 seconds. The crew ended up with an total size round 185 inches lengthy and driving on a 121.1-inch wheelbase, with an total peak of 66.9 inches and width round 75 inches. 

In line 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 method 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 in fact a precedence. “We have been working very carefully with our aerodynamics crew, 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 kind of is the best way the roofline drops toad the again, bringing airflow by means of a pass-through spoiler. 

The large subtraction gadgets are the suspension. One which raises or lowers is not coming to R2, though Rivian made certain to offer it a tune that may work for on- and off-road and permit the potential by way of floor clearance. The R2 presents 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 high off-roader spot for the model. 

And there are not any plans for a 3rd row within the R2. “To have a 3rd row for R2 would make the package deal 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 totally flat, permitting sufficient steady size to move very lengthy undertaking gadgets 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 in regards to the little desk good for drinks or the effective bits as you gear up on your outside 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 completely new form of bike-rack system that may be put up with one particular person and saved away far 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 complicated split-tailgate setup was probably the most tough gadgets to unravel for R2. House owners actually just like the R1S tailgate and “with the ability to sit there and principally have a little bit awning there to cowl you if it’s raining,” he described, however it’s value and complexity. So Rivian’s resolution, with a one-piece liftgate, was a pull-out tray you could sit on. 

Interface-wise, the steering wheel and its giant rotary dials have 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 intervening time.

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

“Plenty of work went into designing R3 and R2 collectively to ensure as a platform, numerous the parts are shared, numerous community structure is clearly shared,” stated Hammoud, and that extends to manufacturing and the provision chain. 

R2 wlll be a little bit extra dynamically targeted towards on-road efficiency than R1, Hammoud summed, whereas R3 would be the most targeted 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 numerous 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, heart console, and seat frames. 

Basically throughout the time Rivian was revealing the R2, R3, and R3X on Thursday, the corporate confirmed a whopper of a producing announcement. It’s going to pause development on its $5 billion Georgia manufacturing unit, 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. 

Certain, the R3 household could be a shiny shock to distract from some sobering monetary realities on the firm. But it surely deserves all the eye it will get and reveals that Rivian has plenty of innovation but to come back.