Rivian just made its boldest move yet — and it comes wrapped in an exclusive shade of green.

The electric vehicle maker officially kicked off R2 deliveries this spring, but it’s not starting with its cheapest option. Instead, Rivian is opening the doors with something a little more special: the R2 Performance with Launch Package, a limited-edition variant priced at $57,990 that the company is positioning as the ultimate first chapter of the R2 story. If you’ve been watching Rivian grow from a scrappy EV startup into a serious contender in the crowded electric SUV space, this feels like a real coming-of-age moment.

Production of the first customer-ready R2s officially began on April 22, 2026, at Rivian’s plant in Normal, Illinois — the same factory where it builds the R1T and R1S. Reservations holders will start receiving order invite timing updates in June, which means the wait is nearly over for thousands of people who signed up months or even years ago. For Rivian, getting R2 out the door isn’t just a product milestone — it’s practically a financial lifeline. The company had projected that R2 sales would result in a 53% increase in overall deliveries this year, estimating somewhere between 62,000 and 67,000 units.

So what exactly is the Launch Package, and why does it matter? Think of it as Rivian’s way of rewarding its earliest R2 believers — the people who reserved a spot before the specs were even finalized. The Launch Package is bundled with R2 Performance for a limited time, stacking on exclusive extras that you won’t be able to get once this window closes. It’s a classic “early adopter” reward play, similar to what we’ve seen from Tesla and other EV makers at launch, but Rivian has leaned into the nostalgia and adventure branding in a way that feels distinctly its own.

At the core of the R2 Performance is a dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain that frankly sounds more sports car than family SUV. It delivers 656 horsepower and 609 lb-ft of torque, blasting the vehicle from 0 to 60 mph in as little as 3.6 seconds. For context, Car and Driver notes that puts the R2 Performance squarely between the Tesla Model Y Premium AWD (3.9 seconds) and the Model Y Performance (3.3 seconds) — which is remarkable for a midsize SUV that also has a tow hitch and room for five people. Range sits at an EPA-estimated 330 miles on an 87.9-kWh battery pack, which covers the vast majority of real-world driving scenarios, including weekend road trips.

But the raw performance numbers only tell part of the story. Rivian has equipped the R2 Performance with a semi-active suspension system that can toggle between precise, road-hugging handling and a softer, more comfortable ride depending on the terrain. The car also comes with a full suite of drive modes — Rally, Snow, Soft Sand, and more — that actively adjust the suspension, steering, and accelerator behavior. This isn’t just a fast EV; it’s an EV that’s been engineered to feel at home whether you’re carving through canyon roads or crawling through a muddy campsite.

Now for the extras that make the Launch Package genuinely worth talking about. The headliner is Autonomy+, Rivian’s advanced driver assistance system, included for the lifetime of the vehicle. This is a big deal because, unlike many competitors that charge monthly subscription fees for similar tech, R2 Performance Launch Package buyers get it permanently baked in — and that access transfers to the next owner if you ever sell the car. The crown jewel of Autonomy+ is Universal Hands-Free, a hands-free driving system that works on over 3.5 million miles of roads across the U.S. and Canada. That’s not a handful of pre-mapped highways like some systems — it’s designed to work on nearly any road you travel. Pair that with Lane Change on Command, which automatically finds gaps in traffic and changes lanes on divided highways, and you’ve got a genuinely useful co-pilot for long drives.

Then there’s the tow package, included at no extra cost with the Launch Package, bringing the R2’s towing capacity to a respectable 4,400 lbs. That’s enough to haul a mid-size boat, a small camper, or a loaded gear trailer to the trailhead — which fits perfectly with Rivian’s outdoorsy brand identity.

On the aesthetic side, Rivian is doing something that will resonate deeply with longtime fans. The company is bringing back “Launch Green” — a color that was born during the early days of R1 development, inspired by the e-coat electrostatic layer that every Rivian receives before its final paint. It’s the company’s original debut color and a meaningful nod to where this whole journey started. Launch Green won’t be free — it’s a paid upgrade — but it’s exclusively available to Launch Package buyers, making it one of the more genuinely limited “limited edition” features in recent EV history. The standard color for R2 Performance with Launch Package is the new Esker Silver, but buyers can also choose from Catalina Cove, Half Moon Grey, Glacier White, and Midnight. Forest Green joins the lineup a bit later.

Completing the exclusivity package is a Rivian Green anodized aluminum key fob — a small but carefully considered detail that directly evolved from the Launch Green color story. It’s the kind of collector’s item that fans tend to hold onto long after the vehicle gets sold, and Rivian clearly knows its audience.

Inside, R2 Performance buyers will get to choose between two all-new premium interior options. The first, Black Crater Signature, takes its visual cues from volcanic rock — dark, textured, and surprisingly warm thanks to upcycled Birch wood and textile accents. The second, Coastal Cloud Signature, leans in the opposite direction with an airy, light-toned palette inspired by cloudy coastal skies, again finished with upcycled Birch wood for a grounded, nature-connected feel. Black Crater Signature ships first, with Coastal Cloud available at a later date.

What makes the R2 launch significant beyond just Rivian’s balance sheet is what it signals for the broader EV market. This $57,990 starting point is the opening move in a multi-year rollout strategy. Rivian will follow up with the R2 Premium at $53,990 in late 2026, then a rear-wheel-drive Standard at $48,490 in the first half of 2027, and eventually a ~$45,000 variant expected in late 2027. The ultimate goal is to get Rivian into a price tier where it genuinely threatens the Tesla Model Y, which starts at $44,990 for its base variant. That lower-priced R2 would represent one of the more significant mainstream EV value plays in the market, if Rivian can execute on it.

For now, though, the R2 Performance with Launch Package is the star of the show — and Rivian has clearly put enormous thought into making it feel worthy of the “early adopter” badge. If you’ve been on the fence, order invite updates go out in June. The first chapter of R2 is being written, and it’s off to a powerful start.