Rivian R2's launch date is official

Last month through a filing with the Laguna Beach, California City Council, Rivian unwittingly revealed that it was going to unveil the R2 on March 7. Today the company has finally acknowledged this and made the date official in a post on X, which you can see below.

The ocean-themed soundtrack to the quick video heavily hints at the location of the unveiling being Laguna Beach, but Rivian has so far not outright confirmed this.

This is it. Get ready to meet R2 on March 7th. pic.twitter.com/N2CKDTTZ5I

— Rivian (@Rivian) February 5, 2024

The City Council filing had to do with permission to use a public beach area in Laguna Beach, that's near to Rivian's flagship store - which just so happens to be a former theater, complete with an event space with a stage and screen. All the signs are pointing strongly in its direction.

The R2 will be Rivian's more affordable alternative to the R1S and R1T. It was initially intended to start at around $40,000, a far cry from Rivian's other cars. The R2 will be an SUV and it will unsurprisingly (given the price delta) be smaller than the R1S.

Rivian has just been named the most loved car brand for 2023 in Consumer Reports' annual owner survey, and offering a more affordable SUV will probably help it keep that spot. People apparently love its cars' comfort, the driving, cabin storage, and ownership cost - though we assume that's ownership cost once you already own one, considering the starting prices for both its current models.