Rivian R2 launch event officially scheduled for March 7th in Laguna, here’s what to expect

Rivian today announced that the company is going to show the world the smaller, more value-focused R2 at their Laguna showroom on March 7th. We uncovered the launch event date and location earlier, but the move is now official and could include some surprises.

Rivian recently opened a new flagship store in Laguna Beach at the site of a historic theater, first opened in 1936 which had been boarded up. Led by Rivian design VP Denise Cherry, the company restored the building into a retail and event space with a homage stage and theater screen seen below.

Rivian’s plans were leaked earlier via the Laguna Beach town government website, which published Rivian’s intention to use an adjacent lot for the event. Those plans were subsequently removed either for secrecy or because of a change of plans.

Laguna Beach is 17 minutes away (depending on traffic) from its Irvine headquarters, making it a relatively easy commute for its executives, including CEO RJ Scaringe.

Electrek will be on site and Rivian told us a bit of what to expect:

Our Founder & CEO RJ Scaringe will lead a keynote presentation about the future of Rivian products. Following, there will be first looks and time with Rivian leads.

Rivian

The event announcement came with a small “beach-y” animation shown below.

We have seen the R2S(?) under cover earlier on an Rivian Instagram Story…

…which lines up well with a recent patent application showing us a new smaller lights front facia of what looks like an R2S.

Electrek’s take:

The R2 platform will allow Rivian to enter a higher volume market, which includes EVs like Tesla’s Model Y, but be more rugged and off-road capable. Right now, there are lots of EV CUV-type vehicles, but few are adventure-focused.

Pricing and timing will be important here, but Riivian obviously sees a path to completion because they are also risking “Osbourne effecting” their bigger R1S lineup, which is seeing 3-6 month wait times currently.

Also, a big question is whether or not Rivian sees a path to a smaller EV pickup truck, something I really think the market needs and could compete with the Ford Maverick.

The smaller platform could also see its way into smaller vehicles which could really target the Subaru market.