- Rivian R2 Performance Launch Package landed in a salvage auction after only 110 miles.
- Exterior damage looks modest, but the listing flags need for airbags and suspension.
- A brave, practical buyer could potentially skip Rivian’s lengthy R2 waiting list entirely.
Some cars spend their first 110 miles (177 km) gently running errands and getting photographed by their excited new owners. This Rivian R2 took a rather different path. Barely out of the wrapper, the electric SUV has already been crashed and is now waiting for a new home through a salvage auction.
Rivian only opened the R2 configurator on its retail site at the end of May, and strong demand means anyone joining the queue for a new one today won’t receive it until 2027. But somehow this R2 has already been delivered, driven, bent and left in a dusty lot while it waits for a second owner to rescue it.
Related: Bad News Rivian Flippers, A Day One Holder’s R2 Cleared Sticker By Just $2,015
The Launch Green SUV’s passenger-side front fender has taken the obvious hit. It’s crumpled inward, exposing a cracked fender liner, while the outer wheel arch trim has detached and is dangling rather sadly on the ground next to the 21-inch wheel.
IAA
At first glance, it doesn’t look catastrophic. The damage appears concentrated around the fender rather than extending into the passenger door, potentially making this seem like an easy repair and a sneaky way into an R2 without joining the backlog. Unfortunately, there are a couple of reasons not to start celebrating just yet.
First, the IAA auction listing identifies suspension damage as a secondary issue, suggesting there’s more going on underneath than the photos immediately reveal. And the photos show multiple airbags have deployed. Second, experience with the larger R1S has shown that damaged Rivians can generate repair bills rather more intimidating than you might expect from similarly bruised mainstream Ford or Chevy SUVs.
656 HP And AWD
IAA
But it could still be worth the effort. This must be an R2 Performance Launch Package, currently the only version Rivian is delivering. It starts at $57,990, with slower, more affordable variants coming later this year and then in 2027.
That $58k gets you dual-motor all-wheel drive developing 656 hp (489 kW / 665 PS) and 609 lb-ft (825 Nm) of torque. Rivian says it’ll rocket from 0–60 mph (96 km/h) in 3.6 seconds while delivering 330 miles (531 km) of range. We just hope the owner (presuming this wasn’t a demo car) got to experience that punch at least once before they wrecked it. Although you have to consider that maybe trying that 656 hp out is why it now looks like it does.
