Rivian starts deliveries of its all-important R2 SUV
Rivian starts deliveries of its all-important R2 SUV
Rivian 开始交付其至关重要的 R2 SUV
Rivian began officially handing over the first R2 SUVs to paying customers on Tuesday, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the buzzy all-electric automaker as it tries to reach mass-market scale. Rivian 于周二正式向付费客户交付了首批 R2 SUV，这标志着这家备受瞩目的纯电动汽车制造商在迈向大众市场规模的过程中开启了新的篇章。
Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe has said the R2 is “maybe the most important thing we’ve launched to date,” and it’s particularly crucial to the company’s ambitions in the world of autonomous vehicles. Rivian 创始人兼首席执行官 RJ Scaringe 曾表示，R2 是“我们迄今为止推出的最重要的产品”，这对公司在自动驾驶领域的雄心壮志尤为关键。
Starting at around $58,000, the R2 takes a lot of what Rivian did with the R1 SUV and shrinks it down into a more approachable and affordable form factor. The company plans to offer a version of the R2 for less than $50,000, beginning in 2027. An even more stripped-down model will be available “around $45,000” later that year — making good on a price point Rivian has teased since it revealed the R2 in 2024. R2 起售价约为 58,000 美元，它汲取了 Rivian 在 R1 SUV 上的诸多设计精髓，并将其浓缩为更易于接受且价格更亲民的车型。公司计划从 2027 年开始提供售价低于 50,000 美元的 R2 版本。同年晚些时候，还将推出一款配置更精简、售价“约 45,000 美元”的车型，从而兑现了 Rivian 自 2024 年发布 R2 以来所承诺的价格点。
The company is looking to ramp up both production and deliveries of the R2 through the second half of 2026. And Rivian is planning on the R2 being very successful from the jump: The company has said it will deliver between 20,000 and 25,000 R2 SUVs by the end of the year. If it accomplishes that feat, Rivian’s R2 would be one of the fastest-scaling EV launches in U.S. history. From there, Rivian wants to build and sell hundreds of thousands of R2 SUVs per year. 公司计划在 2026 年下半年提高 R2 的产量和交付量。Rivian 对 R2 的开局寄予厚望：公司表示，到今年年底将交付 20,000 至 25,000 辆 R2 SUV。如果能实现这一目标，R2 将成为美国历史上规模扩张最快的电动汽车发布项目之一。此后，Rivian 希望每年能生产并销售数十万辆 R2 SUV。
The company has begun production at its factory in Normal, Illinois, and is building a new factory in Georgia that will come online in late 2028. 该公司已在其位于伊利诺伊州诺默尔（Normal）的工厂开始生产，并正在佐治亚州建设一座新工厂，预计将于 2028 年底投入运营。
The R2 arrives at an inflection point for electric vehicles in America. The Trump administration has weakened environmental regulations that put pressure on the auto industry to move away from gas engines. Congress also did away with a $7,500 federal tax credit that made new electric cars more affordable. Most of the legacy automakers have shelved or canceled plans for EVs in the U.S. Even industry leader Tesla’s sales are declining. R2 的到来正值美国电动汽车发展的转折点。特朗普政府削弱了旨在推动汽车行业摆脱燃油发动机的环保法规。国会也取消了使新电动汽车更具价格优势的 7,500 美元联邦税收抵免政策。大多数传统汽车制造商已经搁置或取消了在美国的电动汽车计划。即便是行业领头羊特斯拉，其销量也在下滑。
But sales of EVs are on the rise elsewhere around the world, and China is pumping out ultra-cheap sedans and crossovers that have some countries clamoring to bring them ashore. Earlier this year, Canada dramatically reduced its import tax on Chinese-made EVs in an attempt to fight climbing new car prices. 但在世界其他地区，电动汽车的销量却在增长。中国正在大量生产超低价的轿车和跨界车，这使得一些国家争相引进。今年早些时候，加拿大大幅降低了对中国制造电动汽车的进口税，试图以此应对不断上涨的新车价格。
Scaringe has painted this environment as an opportunity for his company. With fewer new EVs on the market in the U.S., the R2 has a chance to become one of the most compelling options available, he’s reasoned in recent interviews. Scaringe 将这种环境视为公司的机遇。他在近期的采访中分析称，随着美国市场上新电动汽车的选择减少，R2 有机会成为最具吸引力的选择之一。
Rivian is also pinning a lot of promises about autonomy on the R2. In December, the company laid out its vision for increasing the SUV’s autonomous capabilities over the next few years, and Rivian expects the R2 to eventually be able to drive itself. In March, Uber struck a deal with Rivian worth up to $1.25 billion that would allow as many as 40,000 R2 models to be used as robotaxis on the ride-hailing giant’s network. Rivian 还将许多关于自动驾驶的承诺寄托在 R2 上。去年 12 月，该公司阐述了在未来几年内提升该 SUV 自动驾驶能力的愿景，并预计 R2 最终能够实现自动驾驶。今年 3 月，Uber 与 Rivian 达成了一项价值高达 12.5 亿美元的协议，允许在这一网约车巨头的平台上使用多达 40,000 辆 R2 车型作为自动驾驶出租车（Robotaxi）。