People love the Rivian R2, 68,000 reservations in less than 24 hours show

After a few weeks of teasers and a last-minute leak, yesterday Rivian made the R2 official as promised, and the upcoming SUV starts a little lower than expected, at $45,000. Perhaps for that reason, or simply because it's an enticing proposition on many other levels, more than 68,000 reservations for the R2 have already been received by Rivian in less than 24 hours since the launch.

That's a pretty important feat for a company as small as Rivian, but do as always keep in mind that reservations aren't pre-orders. The cost for a reservation is just $100, and it's refundable. Furthermore, the R2 is only slated for release in 2026, and a lot of those people reserving one might change their minds in the next two years.

Overwhelmed by the wonderful response to our new vehicles: R2, R3 and R3X.

In less than 24 hours, we’ve taken more than 68,000 R2 reservations. We are thrilled to see this vehicle resonate so strongly with our community! pic.twitter.com/tEIBhwlJQC

— RJ Scaringe (@RJScaringe) March 8, 2024

Still, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe says the company is "thrilled" to see the R2 "resonate so strongly" with the community, and it's been "overwhelmed by the wonderful response".

The R2 is basically a shrunken down version of the R1S, Rivian's first SUV. Its dimensions almost exactly match those of Tesla's Model Y, the world's best selling car, and so it's no secret what the R2 is trying to compete head-on with. Rivian promises over 300 miles of range for the R2, and a 0 to 60 mph time of "well under" 3 seconds for the top tier tri-motor version.