With the first deliveries of the Rivian R1T now underway and production ramping up, Rivian can start focusing on the R1S SUV. By the end of the year, Rivian is on track to build 1,200 new vehicles and deliver 1,000 units. In the meantime, those who have ordered the R1S are still waiting for their order to arrive. Production of the R1S was expected to start at Rivian's Illinois plant next month.

Deliveries were then supposed to start in January 2022. Unfortunately, reservation holders are going to have to wait a little longer to get behind the wheel of the R1S.

A member of the Rivian Owners Forum has shared an email from Rivian informing R1S Launch Edition reservation holders that the delivery estimate has been pushed back until May 2022 at the earliest. Another member of the forum who placed a deposit for the R1S forum in March 2020 has been told their R1S won't arrive until June-July 2022, while others have an updated delivery window of July-September 2022. It's worth noting that the delivery update only applies to R1S Launch Edition preorders.

Deliveries for the entry-level Explore trim were originally slated to start in January 2022 but we won't be surprised if it gets delayed until 2022 or early 2023.

Understandably, some reservation holders are not happy about the situation. One forum member even said they immediately canceled their order after receiving the delivery update. It's also not clear if the R1S will still enter production in December, but the delivery update suggests it won't start until 2022.

Starting at $77,500, the R1S Launch Edition has been sold out since last year and comes equipped with heated and ventilated seats, natural-grained ash wood interior trim, perforated vegan leather upholstery, special badges, and upgraded 20-inch all-terrain or 22-inch sport wheels. Thanks to its 135-kWh battery pack, the R1S Launch Edition offers 316 miles of range on a single charge.