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Rivian gets Knight Rider spooky for Halloween

Michael Knight sitting on the hood of his car KITT in a scene from Knight Rider.
Photo 12 / Alamy Stock Photo

Rivian vehicles are known for giving drivers the chance to take the party on the road, whether it’s stowing a travel kitchen onboard or using its elaborate software systems to spice things up.

With Halloween just around the corner, the automaker based in Plymouth, Michigan, is pulling out some treats from its bag of tricks: Rivian owners are getting a number of options to turn their vehicles into traditional spooky or full-on sci-fi entertainment hubs.

A software update available on the Rivian Mobile App until November 4 provides Car Costumes, which take over the vehicle’s screen, lighting, and sound systems while in park to transform it into three different cars.

Nostalgic fans of the Knight Rider TV series will be pleased with the option to turn their Rivians into the famous K.I.T.T. crime-fighting car. After choosing the option on the app, the car’s interior display system features K.I.T.T.’s diagnostics on screen while playing the original show intro music.

Here’s an extra treat for Rivian Gen 2 owners: The exterior light bar will feature K.I.T.T.’s iconic beaming red light while playing its scanner sound effect.

No-less nostalgic fans of Back to the Future movies will also get their treat with a chance to turn their vehicle into the DeLorean Time Machine. With this option, the screen turns into the classic time-traveling interface while the audio system plays the movie’s music and acceleration sound effects.

Once again, Rivian Gen 2 owners get an extra treat. Hitting the key 88 mph button will engage the car’s lighting and sound effects in the front and back of the car to whizz you through the sound barrier.

For a more traditional spooky time, you can opt for the Haunted Rivian car costume, featuring eight different sound effects and three different color themes. Static and ghosts will take over your interior display.

Rivian Gen 1 owners get a green animation on the outside of the vehicle. Gen 2 owners can turn the exterior light bar into whichever color option they find most frightful.

Rivian reportedly delays R1T deliveries amid supply chain and quality issues
People and a dog standing in front of a Rivian R1T electric pickup truck.

Rivian successfully launched production of the R1T, its first model, in a former Mitsubishi factory located in Normal, Illinois. Digital Trends drove the electric truck in September 2021 and loved it, but a new report suggests it will take some time before many buyers can do the same.

Several members of the Rivian Forums wrote that a representative for the young company had reached out to inform them of delivery delays. One said that his estimated delivery date was pushed back from October 2021 to February 2022; he added that the Guide the company assigned him blamed the setback on supply chain-related issues. Another user who claims to have placed a reservation for the R1T in February 2019 also wrote that Rivian moved the estimated delivery date from October 2021 to February 2022. Interestingly, that customer added that the Guide blamed the delay on quality control-related issues, though problems with the supply chain were also partly to blame.

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Rivian has joined the list of carmakers old and new who want to end Ford's 39-year reign over America's sales chart. While it's not a household name, at least not yet, it became the first company to release a mass-produced electric pickup in the United States. Sure, there have been others: Ford built an electric Ranger in the 1990s as a bit of an experiment. This is different: Rivian is aiming for volume.

The R1T is a four-door, five-seater model developed with adventurers and nature lovers in mind. It's closer in spirit to a Jeep Gladiator that you might see on a trail in Moab than to a Ford F-350 your utility company might use. It's new from the ground up, and it looks like one of the most attractive entries into this burgeoning segment -- Digital Trends put it through its paces on and off the pavement and walked away seriously impressed. Production has finally started so we're taking a look at what it is, what it does, how much it costs, and what's next.
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Many startup automakers have tried to repeat the success of Tesla, but the 2022 Rivian R1T is something different. This burly pickup truck aims to take EVs into the wilderness.

When it unveiled the R1T at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show, Rivian made some bold claims, boasting of Jeep-like off-road capability, sports car-like acceleration, and enough range to get you to the trail and back.

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