Electric vehicle company Rivian on Thursday announced new electric vehicles at prices that show the startup is turning in a new direction — toward more affordable offerings.

Rivian's existing R1 vehicles start at $70,000 and can be as expensive as $100,000, but the three new midsize electric vehicles the company announced Thursday start at or under $45,000.

of R2 is a five-seat, mid-size SUV “with a fully developed technology platform bursting with personality”, according to at Rivia. It is available for RESERVE now in the US with a $100 pledge, with shipments expected in the first half of 2026.

^{External R2. Credit: Rivian}

^{Internal R2. Credit: Rivian}

of R3 it's a midsize crossover with a lower starting price than the R2, though Rivian didn't reveal exact pricing. It has a performance variant called the R3X that boosts the R3's capabilities, which are still not entirely clear. Both R3 models will begin shipping once R2 shipments begin.

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^{The three new electric vehicles. Credit: Rivian}

The R2 and R3 lines will have the option of two battery sizes, with the larger offering at least 300 miles of range per charge and 0-60 mph acceleration in less than 3 seconds.

“Our flagship R1 vehicles served as our handshake with the world – with the R2 and R3 our obsessive aim is to stay true to Rivian's product attributes while making our products accessible to many more people,” said the design chief of Rivian, Jeff Hammoud.

Rivian's move into a more affordable electric vehicle market, with prices comparable to Tesla Model Ywhich starts at $43,990, comes at a time of slowing EV growth. February of Rivian prediction indicated that the company's projected EV production figures of about 57,000 vehicles were below analysts' estimates. Rivian LOST about $2 billion last year and CUTTING its workforce by 10%.

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Rivian RATINGS a savings of over $2.25 billion by producing the first R2 electric vehicles at its existing plant in Illinois. The company said it plans to scale up production of the R2 and R3 at its Georgia site and eventually be able to produce 215,000 units of the R1, R2 and other models.