Rivian’s R2 vehicle launch date appears to have been leaked in city council minutes -Gudstory

City Council members in Laguna Beach, Calif., met last night to approve Rivian’s request (PDF) to park six vehicles on the grass in a city park for the March 7 “R2 launch.” It appears that the company is planning to officially announce its upcoming electric SUV, the R2, which is said to be smaller and more affordable than its current lineup of EVs.

A local community publication called stu news laguna It was reported yesterday that a small item on the City Council’s consent calendar revealed that it was planning to approve the program in a single motion along with several other agenda items. The six vehicles Rivian wants to park are “for informational purposes only.” this news Writes.

Although the filing doesn’t specifically mention what the “worldwide launch event” is for, a diagram below the planned layout for cars reads “Rivian R2 launch v11.pln”, which is… pretty straightforward .

It looks like Rivian hasn’t made any official announcements around that date yet, but the company recently acquired a building called the South Coast Theater near the location where the vehicles will be parked. Now named the Rivian South Coast Theatre, it serves as the company’s “first major retail location”. A company spokesperson declined to comment.

The company’s R2 platform will underpin its next vehicle, which is expected to go into production by 2026. Rivian has said one of the first vehicles will be a small SUV priced between $40,000 and $60,000. The current lineup of R1 vehicles starts at around $80,000.

Rivian has also said it aims to reduce the carbon footprint of its next-generation vehicles by increasing the amount of recycled materials and using more renewable energy in its manufacturing process.