R2 customer production started today! R2 configurator / ordering starts June

[srkz]

The infotainment, overall design, heat pump, batteries, motors etc will not be changing within such a short time frame.

Agreed! It will also still be named R2 and seat five!

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[narmstrong79]

They should be more clear, these are INTERNAL Customer deliveries, not true customer deliveries. Still huge milestone and good for them for hitting the timeline they promised wall street

 

[Biturbowned]

They should be more clear, these are INTERNAL Customer deliveries, not true customer deliveries. Still huge milestone and good for them for hitting the timeline they promised wall street

Tesla does the same thing

 

[narmstrong79]

Tesla does the same thing

I couldn't care less what Tesla does. Many new products across multiple industries do this, I get it. My point is while amazing work by rivian for the teams for hitting this milestone. But after employees, the next run will go to influencers and media outlets and then the gates will open for real customer.

 

[VandalSibs]

I couldn't care less what Tesla does. Many new products across multiple industries do this, I get it. My point is while amazing work by rivian for the teams for hitting this milestone. But after employees, the next run will go to influencers and media outlets and then the gates will open for real customer.

Lots of auto manufacturers do this.

If the person bought the product, aren't they a customer?

 

[tivoboy]

I couldn't care less what Tesla does. Many new products across multiple industries do this, I get it. My point is while amazing work by rivian for the teams for hitting this milestone. But after employees, the next run will go to influencers and media outlets and then the gates will open for real customer.

Most influences are going to be REAL customers, who are influencers.. the company delivered either press or testing cars most likely won’t just be company production vehicles.. there will be a few for sure, but not many.

 

[Great Gatsby]

I just want to see it in Forest Green or Esker Silver!

 

[narmstrong79]

Most influences are going to be REAL customers, who are influencers.. the company delivered either press or testing cars most likely won’t just be company production vehicles.. there will be a few for sure, but not many.

LOL .... People who purchase for the purpose of making revenue generating content, can write off the depreciation as a business expense are not "real" customers. Real customers are when the company is confident enough to mass produce and deliver to some random family who use it for real world uses, and have nothing to gain from owning the car.

 

[loqueid]

They should be more clear, these are INTERNAL Customer deliveries, not true customer deliveries. Still huge milestone and good for them for hitting the timeline they promised wall street

Clarifying this doesn't exactly help the stock ticker, though, does it.

 

[narmstrong79]

Clarifying this doesn't exactly help the stock ticker, though, does it.

I know - I hate that corporate America is all about stock performance over everything

 

[tivoboy]

LOL .... People who purchase for the purpose of making revenue generating content, can write off the depreciation as a business expense are not "real" customers. Real customers are when the company is confident enough to mass produce and deliver to some random family who use it for real world uses, and have nothing to gain from owning the car.

Does that mean you would put all real estate agents, private business owners, travelling sale people, any 1099 employee who commutes and doesn’t have a defined place of work, any UBER driver or ride share driver, delivery driver, etc who is a 1099 comped worker? Or just private business owner having a “company car”.

Every one of them can “write off” either depreciation, the M&M, the finance & interest expense OR the entire lease payment, fuel/electricity, tires, maintenance etc. for a purchased vehicle.

So all of those ppl, you wouldn’t consider “customers”

 

[DuoRivian]

Lots of auto manufacturers do this.

If the person bought the product, aren't they a customer?

I took the end of first half 2026 target to be external customers rather than internal. That is on me and the term “customer” is open for interpretation because you can say internal customers under NDA and doing regular data logging (very useful) are not the same as you or I.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Maybe they’ll start opening configurations as they roll these out…one can wish

Only 400 estimated in Q2. Q3 is 7000, so a June 1 configurator launch makes sense.

 

[narmstrong79]

Does that mean you would put all real estate agents, private business owners, travelling sale people, any 1099 employee who commutes and doesn’t have a defined place of work, any UBER driver or ride share driver, delivery driver, etc who is a 1099 comped worker?

Every one of them can “write off” either depreciation, the M&M, the interest expense OR the entire lease payment, fuel/electricity, tires, maintenance etc. for a purchased vehicle.

So all of those ppl, you wouldn’t consider “customers”

You're making false equivalents for the sake of arguing.

Influencers are not the same as these other 1099 workers you rally for. They "buy" the product with the explicit purpose of profiting from the product and are generally not completely honest as they want to maintain their connections in the industry they profit from to ensure they continue to get access to that industry.

If you want to D-Ride for the influencer community, go for it, but they are not real customers in my opinion, at best they are independent sales reps.

Have a wonderful day, go take an adventure.

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