Rivian R2 Debuts As Upcoming Ford Mustang Mach-E Rival

After initially announcing that it would partner with Rivian – a company that it invested heavily in early on – and utilize its Skateboard platform in a future EV of its own, Ford later decided to go its own way, and has since dumped most of its stake in that company. Meanwhile, with two higher-priced products in it portfolio and efforts to vastly expand production underway, Rivian has also laid off some workers as of late as it aims to develop smaller, cheaper models as well. One of those models is the Rivian R2, which was teased recently as a brand new, direct competitor to the Ford Mustang Mach-E. Now, the R2 has been revealed entirely.

In terms of styling, the Rivian R2 looks essentially like a shrunken R1S, as expected, and it sports the same unique lighting treatment up front as well. According to Rivian, the R2 is around 15 inches shorter than the R1S – which measures in at just over 200 inches in length – and is not quite as tall, to boot, as the automaker demonstrated in its reveal presentation, also showing off the crossover’s frunk and rear vented side glass, coupled with a rear window that rolls all the way down.

The same goes for the interior of the R2, which looks very much like the ones present in the R1T pickup and R1S, as expected, though it has two rows of seating good for five passengers, unlike the seven-seat layout of the R1S. In terms of available configurations, Rivian noted that it will offer several of them, topping out with a quad-motor version capable of doing 0-60 mph in less than three seconds. Range for all configurations is said to top the 300-mile mark, and the R2 will come equipped with an NACS charge port from the factory.

Despite all this, the MSRP of the Rivian R2 is expected to start as low as $45,000 when the new EV enters production in the first half of 2026, though reservations are open now. It is worth noting that the second-generation Mustang Mach-E is expected to arrive in 2026 as well, and could arrive with a new coupe option, to boot.

We’ll have more on the Rivian R2 soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Rivian news and continuous Ford news coverage.