Rivian’s ethos has always been about taking on the great outdoors and being one with nature. Well, nature decided it wanted to be one with Rivian, and that’s why it sent an EF-1 tornado into Rivian’s Normal, Illinois, factory over the weekend. That didn’t stop Rivian from coming out on top, though, because the first production R2 just rolled off the assembly line, kicking off a pivotal new era for the electric automaker.
The launch comes just five days after that tornado had its way with the company’s complex, specifically causing the collapse of a second of Building 2’s roof, according to CNBC. As it so happens, Building 2 is dedicated to R2 operations. I’m not sure how employees worked around the damage, but it seems that they were able to without too much of an issue.
Rivian recently finished up a 1.1-million-square-foot expansion of its Normal facility, and the first R2 validation vehicles began rolling off the line back in January, according to Electrek. Now, just a few months and one tornado later, production R2s are coming off the line, ready to be delivered. Not bad, considering the R2 was first revealed in prototype form in March 2024. In a statement, CEO and semi-professional Steve-O impersonator RJ Scaringe said the R2 is the “result of all the hard work and dedication of the Rivian team.”
For now, these early R2 units will go to Rivian employees, CFO Claire McDonough told Reuters. Rivian says the first “real” customer deliveries will come later this spring, and the broader customer configurations are set to come in June. “We’ve been encouraged by the reservations that we’ve been receiving for the R2 product overall,” McDonough told the outlet.
The Rivnado
After the tornado hit Rivian’s Building 2, the company told TechCrunch that it would pause operations in the building for a little while as it assessed damage. Luckily, the partially collapsed roof didn’t seem to do too much to slow things down, though pictures posted online show just how gnarly that collapse really was.
“Thank you to our team members on site who sought safe shelter and followed our emergency management protocols when the tornado alarms sounded,” Scaringe wrote in an email viewed by TechCrunch. “I am proud of how everyone came together, not just to follow safety protocols, but to support one another and lead the cleanup and repair efforts with such care and determination.”
From the outside, at least, it seems that everything is back to normal in Normal, and that’s a good thing, because there’s a lot riding on the R2. The company revealed its pricing for the mid-size electric crossover last month, and it’s aimed squarely at the Tesla Model Y. To kick things off, the 656-hp Performance AWD that’ll first be available at launch is set to start at $59,485, including destination. Following it in late 2026 is the less-powerful Premium AWD at $55,485, and after that we’ll get the R2 Standard Long Range RWD in early 2027 with a $49,985 asking price (AWD will be an option). Finally, rounding out the lineup is a shorter-range R2 Standard RWD, set to come in late 2027. That car will theoretically carry the $45,000-ish price tag Rivian once promised for this car, with the automaker currently saying it’ll cost $46,495.
Rivian expects to deliver somewhere between 22,000 and 23,000 R2s this year, according to Reuters. That’s a tall order for a brand-new car from a relatively new company. I sure would like to see Rivian pull it off through, because if the R1S and R1T are anything to go by, the R2 is going to be a hell of a vehicle.
You could even argue it’s tornado-proof.
