Production-Ready Rivian R2 Won't Have This Cool Feature

Production-Ready Rivian R2 Won’t Have This Cool Feature

Key Takeaways

The production-ready Rivian R2 reportedly won’t have fold-flat front seats.
CarBuzz has reached out to Rivian for more information.
Other features missing from the R2 include air suspension and self-leveling suspension.

When the Rivian R2 was revealed earlier this year, we were all excited about the new electric SUV. All the character and most of the R1’s capability in a cheaper and more compact package? Sign us up. But as we near the 2026 arrival, it seems the R2 is dropping some nifty features that the exciting prototype showcased all those months ago.

The latest feature to reportedly be abandoned is flat-folding front-row seating that transforms the cabin into a flat area, which would have been ideal for camping trips – or transporting oddly-shaped items. The new comes via RivianTrackr, citing a comment from Brian Gase, Rivian’s Chief Engineer of Special Projects.

Rivian

Rivian Automotive, Inc. is an American electric vehicle manufacturer launched in 2009 by R.J. Scaringe as Mainstream Motors before being renamed Avera Automotive and, later, Rivian in 2011. Despite initial plans to launch a sports car as its first product, Rivian changed focus to cater to the growing demand for adventure vehicles, launching the R1T and R1S in 2021 and 2022, respectively. As of the beginning of 2024, Rivian has sold a total of 82,572 EVs, with plans to grow this figure rapidly by launching new products like the R2 and R3.

Why Flat-Folding Seats Will Be Missing

Rivian would have reportedly struggled to engineer the fold-flat front seats to work with the steering wheel and keep costs low. Likely, the design would not have complied with federal safety regulations. It’s worth noting that the rear seats will almost fold completely flat, with a four-degree angle. They will also articulate and slide forward for greater flexibility. Rivian has yet to make an official announcement regarding this change. CarBuzz has contacted the automaker for comment and will update the article once a reply is received.

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It seems this isn’t the only feature being omitted from the R2. Earlier this year, Rivian announced that the compact SUV will not be available with air suspension. This will keep costs down and allow the automaker to reach its desired starting price of $45,000. However, without air suspension, the R2 won’t have the same tricks up its sleeve as the R1T and R1S.

Camping And Storage May Be Slightly Compromised, But That’s It

In the larger R1 models, the air suspension allows the vehicle to level itself out on uneven terrain, which makes camping much more comfortable. This feature forms part of the innovative camp mode function. That said, the R2 should still be a capable camping companion – and at a significant discount to the recently refreshed R1S, which has a starting price of $75,900.

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Elsewhere, the production-ready R2 will receive a tow hitch and a power-operated tailgate, which should please customers. Given that the compact Rivian is only due to arrive in 2026, we wouldn’t be surprised if the automaker made more changes between then and now, but hopefully only for the better.