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Rivian's R2 outsold every other Rivian in Q3, but the company won't say by how many

Rivian's R2 outsold every other Rivian in Q3, but the company won't say by how many — Newsmesis editorial illustration
— Newsmesis illustration

What happened

Rivian delivered 19,248 vehicles in the third quarter of 2026, up about 45% from a year earlier, and said its R2 SUV was its best-selling model by volume. The R2 went on sale in June and now outsells the R1T, R1S and Electric Delivery Van. Rivian gave no per-model unit counts. It raised the floor of its 2026 delivery guidance from 65,000 to 67,000 vehicles, and it still posted a $913 million net loss on $2.2 billion in revenue.

What we know

TechCrunchtechcrunch.comThe Vergetheverge.com
  • Rivian built 19,751 vehicles and delivered 19,248 in Q3, about 45% more deliveries than a year earlier and up from 12,194 delivered in Q2, per TechCrunch and The Verge.
  • Rivian said the R2 was responsible for 'much of the gain quarter-over-quarter' and became its top seller by volume, per TechCrunch and The Verge. It disclosed no R2 unit figure.
  • Rivian raised its 2026 delivery guidance floor to 67,000 from 65,000, against an upper bound of 70,000 set earlier, per TechCrunch. It is the second raise this year.
  • Q3 revenue was about $2.155 billion, up 38% from $1.558 billion a year earlier, per The Verge. Software and services brought in $605 million of that.
  • Net loss was $913 million, down from $1.2 billion a year earlier, per TechCrunch. Automotive gross profit was still negative at about $80 million, per The Verge. The Verge attributes the improvement in part to Rivian's Volkswagen software licensing and customer subscriptions.

What we don't know yet

  • How many R2s were delivered. Rivian does not report sales by model, and 'best-selling by volume' is compatible with a small R2 lead over the R1 lines.
  • How much R2 contributed to revenue. The Verge notes most revenue and profit still come from the Volkswagen partnership and software, not from the R2.
  • Final pricing for the cheaper R2 trims. TechCrunch reports $53,990 for the premium trim and $44,990 for the cheapest 2027 version. The Verge reports $55,485, $49,985 and $46,495 for three trims. The two outlets' figures do not match.
  • Whether the Q3 pace holds. The 2026 loss of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit and the second production shift at the Normal, Illinois plant both bear on demand and volume.

Why it matters

Rivian has not shipped more than 50,000 vehicles in a year for three years, and 67,000 or more would break that range. The result tests whether a roughly $60,000 SUV can scale volume in a US EV market without the federal tax credit, while profitability still depends on Volkswagen software revenue.

Claims

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Why you can trust this story

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Verification ledger · 9

  • Claim: Rivian delivered 19,248 vehicles in the third quarter of 2026, about 45% more than a year earlier.
    Status: ConfirmedVerification trailVerifiedChecked by verification engine

    At least one checkable detail was matched against the full text of the cited source.

  • Claim: Rivian says the R2 was its best-selling vehicle by volume in Q3 2026.
    Status: ConfirmedVerification trailVerifiedChecked by verification engine

    At least one checkable detail was matched against the full text of the cited source.

  • Claim: Rivian did not disclose how many R2 vehicles it sold in Q3.
    Status: ConfirmedVerification trailVerifiedChecked by verification engine

    At least one checkable detail was matched against the full text of the cited source.

  • Claim: Rivian raised the floor of its 2026 delivery guidance from 65,000 to 67,000 vehicles.
    Status: ConfirmedVerification trailVerifiedChecked by verification engine

    At least one checkable detail was matched against the full text of the cited source.

  • Claim: Rivian's Q3 net loss was $913 million, down from $1.2 billion a year earlier.
    Status: ConfirmedVerification trailVerifiedChecked by verification engine

    At least one checkable detail was matched against the full text of the cited source.

  • Claim: Rivian's Q3 revenue was about $2.155 billion, up 38% year over year.
    Status: ConfirmedVerification trailVerifiedChecked by verification engine

    At least one checkable detail was matched against the full text of the cited source.

  • Claim: Rivian's software and services segment earned $256 million in gross profit in Q3 on $605 million of revenue.
    Status: ConfirmedVerification trailVerifiedChecked by verification engine

    At least one checkable detail was matched against the full text of the cited source.

  • Claim: Rivian's automotive segment still lost about $80 million in gross profit in Q3.
    Status: ConfirmedVerification trailVerifiedChecked by verification engine

    At least one checkable detail was matched against the full text of the cited source.

  • Claim: Cheaper R2 trim prices differ between TechCrunch and The Verge, so the final prices are unconfirmed.
    Status: UnconfirmedVerification trailUnverifiedChecked by verification engine

    No automated check against the source text is available.

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