- Rivian is introducing a software update for Halloween that lets the R1T and R1S “dress up” as either K.I.T.T. or the DeLorean Time Machine.
- The Rivians use both the interior screen, interior lighting, sound system, and exterior lighting to create the effect.
- The update arrives tomorrow, October 18, and will be available until November 4.
Spooky season is underway and Rivian is getting in on the fun with a series of silly software updates that embrace the Halloween spirit. The main attraction is a new “Car Costumes” feature which, when the car is in park, uses the screen, sound, and lighting to imitate three different cars. Rivian says the software update will become available starting tomorrow, October 18.
Fans of the Knight Rider TV series will be excited when they open the Rivian app on their phones and find the company’s Gear Guard mascot dressed up as Michael Knight. After selecting the leather-jacket-clad animation, the infotainment screen will transform to mimic the diagnostic screen of K.I.T.T., Knight’s robotic car which was based on a 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. The sound system will play the original show’s intro music, while 2025 model year Rivians will see the front light bar glow red and emit the same scanner sound effect that K.I.T.T. did in the show.
Rivian is also catering to wannabe time travelers with a Back to the Future theme. In the app, the Gear Guard will instead don a lab coat as Doc Brown, and the screen will show the interface used by the iconic DeLorean Time Machine, complete with a “Plutonium Chamber” gauge and a display showing the date that you’re traveling to. Theme music and the Time Machine’s acceleration sound will also play. Owners of 2025 models can press the 88-mph button to create a light and sound show using the front and rear exterior lights.
The software update also brings a more generic “Haunted Rivian Car Costume,” with the Gear Guard dressed up as a scarecrow. In this mode, the car will play eight different sound effects and display three color themes with a mix of purple, yellow, red, and green. On the screen, a staticky image of ghosts appears, and 2025 Rivians will project whichever color is selected inside on the exterior light bar, while earlier models will be illuminated in green.
Along with the costumes, Rivian is introducing a host of other fun updates. Instead of the normal beep sound when locking the vehicle, Rivians will play an owl chirp, with 2025 model year owners getting four options and owners of earlier Rivians having two choices. When driving, the digital instrument cluster will show pedestrians as zombies and bicyclists and motorcyclists as headless horsemen.
Camp mode also gets a spooky makeover, with bats, pumpkins, and green flames from the campfire. Similar touches appear across all of the drive modes as well, with glowing eyes, skulls, candles, and a witch riding a broom. The Halloween-themed software updates will only be available until November 4.
Caleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.
Source: www.caranddriver.com