Rivian designer explains R2 design strategy and new feature

Chief Rivian Car Designer, Jeff Hammoud has revealed behind-the-scenes efforts which make the next-gen vehicles – Rivian R2 and R3 series unique.

Rivian R2 is a new midsize electric SUV introduced last month at an event in California, starting at $45,000. This is almost half of the price of existing R1S and R1T large-size SUVs.

However, the vehicle looks quite similar to the Rivian R1S including the silhouette and the front face. The rear side features a liftgate including a powered glass. The interior equips sustainable materials for increased ride comfort on the front and rear sides. Notably, these seats could fold flat up to the front.

In an interview with Design and Milk, Hammoud said that R1 was the company’s first vehicle for the consumers and R2 follows closely with its predecessor.

“For the second album, we have to build off of what everybody loved with the first album, but it has to have its unique character and its unique feeling,” said Hammoud.

He explained that the R1 series had no constraints over the price point and brought a lot of new features. That’s not the case with the R2, instead, its designers had to choose precisely between the technological options for this car.

Rivian R2 (Image Credit: Rivian)

The Rivian design chief mentioned that R2 was purposely built similar to R1S to expand the reach of this brand to more consumers. Meanwhile, he also pursued the topic of new R3 and R3X crossovers.

Rivian R3 (Image Credit: Rivian)

These are the new hatch-style rally-inspired vehicles. The R3 maintains its classy look with up to 300 miles of range, while the R3X focuses on performance.

Among the questions he received, Hammoud said that the new steering wheel in R2 is the most exciting technology in Rivian cars. It uses integrated haptic control dials. With these, you can navigate through the user interface, scroll up or down, and enter a settings menu. That’s not it, the wheels change haptic feedback and control dynamically based on a specific settings menu.

Release:

Rivian R2 will start deliveries in the first half of 2026 along with R3 and R3X.