Rivian has made a tradition of dressing up its EVs for Halloween, and this year it went and got an actual Ghostbuster involved.
One big red switch
Starting October 9, a free over-the-air update drops a dedicated Ghostbusters app into every R1T, R1S, and R2 on the road, Gen 1 and Gen 2 alike. The whole experience runs through a single red toggle that syncs the interior lighting, themed audio, and exterior displays in one flip. Engage Trick or Treat Mode and the theme song fires up while the screens and lights follow suit, with light and sound shows in Ecto-1, Proton Pack, Slimer, Ghost Trap, and Peter Venkman flavors. Motion Mode lets the truck spook passersby on its own.
There’s more buried in the menus. A scavenger hunt hides characters inside familiar screens, a Mallow Mash arcade game has you popping Mini-Pufts while parked, and the whole thing can be triggered remotely from your phone or Apple Watch. The update runs October 9 through November 2, and all it asks is that your vehicle software and Rivian app are current.
The Ecto-R1 builds
Then there’s the hero car. Rivian’s Special Projects team built physical Ecto-R1s out of the R1S, complete with white-capped 22-inch Aero wheels nodding to the original’s chrome hubcaps, the sweeping red graphic, and No-Ghost logos on the hood and doors. The roof rack carries vintage emergency lights that were sourced and restored, while the sirens, radar dish, and tank housings were fabricated in-house. You can’t buy one, but the builds are touring Rivian’s retail spaces all season: Laguna Beach, Austin, Venice, Miami Brickell, San Francisco, and New York City.
Bill Murray suits up
To launch it all, Rivian tapped Bill Murray for a new spot directed by Gil Kenan of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. The premise: Slimer raids a suburban fridge, a familiar siren wails outside, and the original shows up to handle business. Getting Murray to suit up for a car commercial might be the most impressive part of the whole campaign.
Rivian’s Halloween updates were already the best in the business. This one raises the bar again, and it costs owners exactly nothing.
