Rivian is adding a second full production shift at its Normal, Illinois assembly plant by the end of September, a move the company says is needed to keep up with R2 demand as it pushes toward a full-year 2026 delivery target of 65,000 to 70,000 vehicles, according to Rivian’s own second-quarter 2026 financial results release.

The company beat its own guidance last quarter, delivering 12,194 vehicles against a forecasted range of 9,000 to 11,000, a jump Rivian attributed directly to “robust growth quarter-over-quarter in EDV and R1 coupled with the introduction of R2 deliveries,” as stated in the company’s own SEC filing. On the strength of that quarter, Rivian raised its full-year outlook from a prior range of 62,000 to 67,000 units up to the new 65,000-70,000 band.

Key Points

• The second shift at the Normal, Illinois plant is set to launch by September 30, 2026.
• A third shift is planned for 2027, alongside the start of R2 production at Rivian’s Georgia facility.
• R2 has drawn more than 200,000 reservations and 57,000 completed demo drives, according to figures Rivian has disclosed around the vehicle’s rollout.
• R2 launched in a Performance trim starting at $59,485, with a Standard RWD version priced from $46,495 arriving in summer 2027.

CEO RJ Scaringe framed the ramp-up as a response to a gap in the market rather than just an internal production milestone. “The U.S. automotive marketplace is starved for high-quality EV choice, and I believe R2 is an attractively priced option for everyday adventures that will resonate with a broad set of consumers,” Scaringe said on the company’s investor call, a comment echoed in coverage of the shift announcement. Adding a second shift roughly doubles the plant’s potential output without requiring new floor space, which is the fastest lever an automaker has to increase volume once a line is already validated and running.

Scaringe also pointed out that a meaningful share of R2 buyers are picking up their first EV, a detail that matters for a company whose R1 lineup skewed toward buyers already sold on electric trucks and SUVs. Getting first-time EV owners into a Rivian is a different sales problem than converting an existing EV owner, and it’s one the company is betting the smaller, cheaper R2 is built to solve.

Rivian’s stock and delivery guidance had been under scrutiny for much of 2025 as the company worked through R2’s launch timeline, and this quarter’s numbers, paired with a concrete plant-capacity commitment rather than just a sales projection, give investors and prospective buyers a harder data point than guidance language alone typically provides.