New York, May 24, 2026, 17:04 (EDT)
- Rivian closed Friday at $14.22, gaining 0.49% for the session and around 3.1% this week.
- Nasdaq will be shut Monday for Memorial Day, with trading picking up again on Tuesday for the next normal U.S. stock session.
- The week is set to hinge on R2 delivery updates, launch costs and whether investors stay positive on the rebound.
Rivian Automotive stock finished Friday at $14.22, recovering some ground just before the Memorial Day break. Shares climbed from $13.79 the previous week, bringing the price back over $14 as traders looked to exit ahead of the long weekend. Trading on Nasdaq is closed Monday, May 25, for Memorial Day, according to the exchange’s U.S. market calendar.
Why is that in focus now? Rivian is pinning everything on the R2, its compact, cheaper SUV. The market wants to see if this model can push the company out of high-cost niche EV status and drive up output. Rivian (Nasdaq: RIVN) isn’t just pitching hype or unfinished tech anymore. Now it needs to prove it can deliver cars, manage costs, and keep its cash burn in check—all at once.
Rivian stock dropped at the start of the week, losing ground Monday and Tuesday, but then bounced back hard with two strong sessions midweek and ended with a modest rise on Friday. The shares closed at $13.35 on Monday, $12.90 Tuesday, $13.73 Wednesday, $14.15 Thursday, and $14.22 Friday, according to .
Stocks finished the week with gains. The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.5% for the week, the S&P 500 added 0.9%, and the Dow advanced 2.1%, Associated Press market data show. Rivian outperformed the Nasdaq this week but is still trading far below its April closing highs around $17.
Rivian’s R2 configurator is now in the spotlight for investors. The company put the R2 Performance starting at $57,990 for spring 2026; the R2 Premium from $53,990 late 2026; and a Standard long-range, first half of 2027, from $48,490. There’s also a cheaper Standard expected late 2027 at around $45,000.
That move puts Rivian nearer the core of the U.S. electric SUV market, a space where Tesla’s Model Y has been the standard for price, range, and scale. Rivian is smaller and still posting losses, but with the R2, it finally has a volume model that’s more accessible than its R1 pickup and SUV.
Rivian execs are putting weight behind the R2 launch. CEO RJ Scaringe said, “We are really excited to be producing R2 for our customers,” as the company kicked off production for the R2 at its Normal, Illinois, site. COO Javier Varela called the model a “major advance” for factory efficiency. Exposure
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe told Reuters this month that the company is working on R2 variants beyond what it has shown so far. “There are other variants of R2,” Scaringe said. He mentioned there “could be an R2X,” but did not announce anything new. Cantor Fitzgerald’s Andres Sheppard wrote that R2 could “materially boost sales” for Rivian and help it “capture additional EV market share.” Reuters
Rivian’s April earnings call threw bulls a bone but stopped well short of a green light. Management reported first-quarter revenue of about $1.4 billion, an 11% increase from the same period last year, and consolidated gross profit hit $119 million. Guidance for 2026 deliveries stayed at 62,000 to 67,000 vehicles, including R1, R2, and commercial vans.
Rivian’s R2 ramp is going to cost a lot up front. CFO Claire McDonough said the launch of the new vehicle will pull down automotive gross profit in the second and third quarters. She said that should turn into a positive later in the year. Rivian still sees an adjusted EBITDA loss of $1.8 billion to $2.1 billion in 2026, with planned capital spending between $1.95 billion and $2.05 billion.
Short week for trading. Nasdaq is closed Monday and markets open for regular hours at 9:30 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday. That’s when investors get their first real look at demand. A delivery update, new comments on reservations, or price moves in EVs could hit the stock fast in this holiday week.
Rivian’s stock has found a floor for now, but that doesn’t mean the R2 ramp is a done deal. Investors will watch the next several weeks to see if the close above $14 on Friday holds, or if this was just another lift in a bullish tape, rather than a steady run connected to Rivian’s first real shot at mass volume.
