The Rivian R2, the long-awaited midsize electric SUV, is getting real.

This weekend, Rivian is giving Chicago-area customers their first chance to kick the tires on the Illinois-built EV during a cross-country roadshow. The R2 is on display through Saturday at Rivian’s downtown and north suburban showrooms.

The two-day event, dubbed the R2 Block Party, has about 2,000 reservations for viewings at both locations, with walk-ins also welcome. Customers can hop inside the EVs, but Rivian isn’t offering demo drives during the inaugural R2 viewing.

More than a dozen R2-curious — including several who have reserved one sight unseen with a $100 deposit — were lined up before the Chicago showroom on North Rush Street opened at 9 a.m. Friday, eager to get their first in-person look at Rivian’s downsized SUV.

“I flew in last night from Jacksonville, Florida,” said Kyle Chard, 49, who was at the front of the line. “I ordered the car in August of 2024, and I really wanted to see it before I actually buy it.”

Making the event even more significant, Rivian actually launched production of the R2 on Wednesday, with the first customer-ready vehicle rolling off the line — despite the Normal factory being hit by a tornado last week.

Rivian announced the midsize R2 SUV would be built at its Normal plant two years ago, and has been taking preorder reservations ever since. Expectations for the new R2 are high, with the company receiving over 100,000 deposits in the first four months alone. Rivian has not updated the R2 reservation totals since July 2024.

Thousands of customers showed up earlier this month for R2 Block Party events in California and Colorado. The response Friday morning seemed equally robust as a steady stream of customers filed into the Chicago showroom.

Mark and Lorna Hildebrandt were among the first to arrive after taking the train Thursday from Ann Arbor, Michigan, for their R2 viewing.

They reserved their R2 with a $100 preorder deposit within minutes of its March 2024 online unveiling. This was their first chance to see the car they plan to buy.

“I was watching the live stream, and I got signed up in the first few minutes,” Mark said as the couple waited for their turn to get inside the R2. “It’s been a long wait, but it looks rather promising from what I can see so far.”

The couple are staying at a downtown hotel and planned to attend an invitation-only party Friday night at the Chicago showroom for current Rivian owners and R2 reservation-holders before returning home Saturday to Michigan. Early EV adopters, they are looking to retire their 2009 Chevy Volt to make room in the garage for the R2.

While the display R2 was not available for a test drive, the couple also planned to take an R1 out for a spin in the afternoon, their first ride in a Rivian.

California-based Rivian launched production of its full-size electric R1T pickup truck, the R1S SUV and its commercial delivery vans in September 2021 at a former Mitsubishi auto plant on the outskirts of Normal.

Current prices for the R1S SUV range from $77,000 for a dual-motor Standard to $122,000 for the top-of-the-line quad-motor version. Last year, Rivian produced 42,284 vehicles — including trucks and delivery vans — at its Normal plant, the company’s sole manufacturing facility.

Starting prices for the R2 range from $45,000 to $58,000, which could position Rivian as a mass-market EV automaker, substantially ramping up production in the downstate college town.

A Half Moon Grey-colored Launch Edition R2 was parked in the Chicago showroom Friday, with a half dozen or so fans clambering in and out of its spaces at any one time under the helpful watch of sales associates.

Chard, who works for an international freight company, stayed at a nearby hotel for his one-night visit. His itinerary included dinner Thursday night at Smith & Wollensky, coffee and croissants Friday morning at the Rivian showroom and a flight back to Florida in the afternoon. But the R2 was the highlight and sole reason for his visit to Chicago.

The smaller size and price made the R2 worth the wait for Chard, who currently owns a Tesla Model Y. He has test-driven the RS1, but felt it was too big for his needs.

“I don’t have kids, so I don’t need the third row, and I wanted something that would fit in my garage,” Chard said. “I could afford an R1, but I really wanted to wait for the R2. It’s just a little bit more the size I’m looking for in a vehicle.”

Rivian has had to navigate some challenges — seen and unforeseen — before getting the first R2 off the line this week.

Backed by $827 million in state incentives, Rivian expanded its 4.3 million-square-foot Normal plant by an additional 1.1 million square feet to accommodate R2 production. Mother Nature undid a chunk of that work last week when an EF1 tornado descended on the R2 plant amid an onslaught of more than 30 twisters across the state, according to the National Weather Service.

The April 17 tornado hit Building 2, a newer part of the factory primarily used for R2 parts logistics. The building was closed in the immediate aftermath, but the rest of the plant remained operational, and the tornado did not derail the production launch, the company said.

“While Building 2 has sustained damage and is closed for the time being as we complete our assessments, I am incredibly relieved to share that there were no injuries at our plant,” Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe said in an email Sunday to employees. “Operations at other facilities continue as planned.”

While R2 production has officially launched, Rivian is not yet taking specific orders. Customers can still reserve their spot online with a $100 deposit and Rivian will reach out to them to complete the order process as production ramps up.

Rivian said it is on track to begin delivering R2s to customers later this spring.

The company produced 10,236 vehicles during the first quarter, and projects it will deliver 62,000 to 67,000 vehicles this year, a 50% increase over 2025, bolstered by the R2 rollout.

The Launch Package version of the 2027 R2 Performance model starts at about $58,000 and features a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive powertrain producing 656 horsepower. That takes the top-of-the-line R2 from zero to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds, with an estimated range of 330 miles on a full charge.

The 2027 R2 Premium will be available for delivery later this year starting at about $54,000, while the 2028 R2 Standard is expected to hit the road during the first half of next year, with a starting price at about $48,000. An even more affordable Standard variant is planned for late 2027, with a starting price of $45,000.

The R2 will be on display through Saturday evening at the Rivian showrooms on North Rush Street and at Westfield Old Orchard in Skokie. After Chicago, the R2 Block Party will head to Long Island, New York; Atlanta; Miami; Palo Alto, California; and Nashville, Tennessee, during May.

Jelena Saric, 36, and Giles Slocum, 44, had a relatively short trip from their Lakeshore East apartment to see the R2 Friday in Chicago. They own a gas-powered car and wanted their second vehicle to be electric to “have that versatility of having both,” Saric said.

The couple reserved an R2 with a $100 deposit on the day it was unveiled online two years ago. After getting an in-person look Friday, they said the midsize SUV was a good fit for city dwellers and worth the wait for them.

“It was the easiest $100 he’s ever spent, and then he asked permission,” Saric said. “But I’m all for it. This is the vehicle we have been waiting for.”

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