Rivian is taking a cautious path to introducing its next driver assistance feature. Electrek reports that point-to-point driving will first reach owners through an invitation-only Autonomy Early Access Program, and that selected owners will have to sign a non-disclosure agreement. The programme is explained on a new Rivian support page, according to the report.
It covers U.S. R1 Gen 2 and R2 owners who pay for Autonomy+, and Rivian says point-to-point launches to that group in late 2026 and will not expand broadly until 2027. Point-to-point driving generally means that the driver enters a destination and the car handles navigation and driving tasks, with the driver remaining responsible, but I have not seen Rivian's exact description of the feature.
The use of a non-disclosure agreement is notable. It means testers will not be able to publicly share their experiences, which limits public scrutiny. Companies often use NDAs in early programmes to protect unfinished software and avoid negative publicity from bugs, but critics argue that safety-related systems benefit from transparency.
The announcement comes as other companies are setting timelines for more advanced systems, including GM for 2028 and Stellantis with Wayve. At the same time, an accident involving Tesla's Full Self-Driving this week reminds the public of the risks. Owners considering paid autonomy packages should read the terms carefully, understand what is included and recognise that features may arrive later than promised. Watch for the first reports from the early access group and for any regulatory statements. Buyers who are not invited should expect to wait, and should not pay for features that are not yet available to them.
