Leaked: Rivian’s affordable SUV EV scheduled to debut on March 7

U.S.-based electric SUV and truck manufacturer Rivian hasn’t officially announced any new vehicle premiere dates, but a user of Rivian Forums has posted what they claim was leaked correspondence between the company and the authorities of Laguna Beach, CA. In it, Rivian asks the government to assist it with holding a new car reveal event on March 7, 2024.

Rivian asked for a territory within one of the local parks to be allocated for the premiere. The leaked application contains a parking scheme for the area and is captioned ‘Rivian R2 Launch’. The company’s other official documents have also mentioned a mid-size electric crossover as a car to be released next.

With only the expensive R1S and R1T models in its lineup, the startup has often admitted that it needed a wallet-friendlier alternative for the mass market. It has already registered trademarks from R2 through R5. Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe himself let it slip once that a premiere of a new vehicle was coming in early 2024.

We suppose that the new crossover will be smaller than the R1S and priced between U.S. $40,000 and $60,000. Like its senior peers, it will likely retain some of their ‘adventure-ready’ spirit in design while being marketed as a more utilitarian urban daily driver.