Rivian’s sporty R3X will be the first R3 to hit the streets

Rivian’s R3X electric SUV will arrive before the base model, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe says on today’s episode of Decoder. Even though Scaringe still doesn’t provide an exact date when the performance variant will roll out, it will be “as soon as we possibly can.”

“We’re launching R2 first, allowing some time to get that stable, and then launching R3,” Scaringe says. “I will say this: The first R3 that we’re launching, it’s going to start with R3X.” We first got a glimpse at the upcoming R3 lineup during the EV maker’s R2 reveal event in March.

Rivian hasn’t released many details about the R3 or the R3X, but it has said the more compact SUV will cost less than the R2, which starts at $45,000, along with “more dynamic abilities, both on and off road.” It’s also tagged for “dramatically enhanced autonomous capabilities,” NACS charging port, and Rivian’s new 4695 cylindrical battery cells.

The R2 is supposed to go into production in the first half of 2026 with an estimated range of more than 300 miles and the ability to go from 0 to 60mph in three seconds. The R3 lineup isn’t expected to launch until 2027.