Rivian launching Knight Rider car headlight animation for R1 EVs

Rivian has announced a new unveiling in October of this year and it will be related to the R1 series vehicles featuring an exciting surprise. The company has published a video teaser on social media sites with the caption “Keep your scanners peeled. A new adventure arrives this October.”

The teaser shows a Rivian R1 with a new headlight bar animation showing red LEDs glowing in sequence. It also shows a person coming out of the dark wearing a rider suit.

This 15-second clip has excited many Rivian owners due to a theory that this has something to do with the famous Knight Rider television series.

The headlight animation is identical to the iconic KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand) car. It was a marvel of 1980s technology including self-driving, AI, and various weapons.

One of the most intriguing parts of this car is its red light bar animation. It is triggered when KITT engages in a dangerous situation or needs to communicate with Michael Knight, the series protagonist played by actor David Hasselhoff. This red light pattern is accompanied by a distinct sound effect.

The other thing that supports this theory is the person in the teaser, who is expected to be David Hasselhoff. He might be endorsing this new feature for Rivian.

Keep your scanners peeled. A new adventure arrives this October. pic.twitter.com/JHCanKLFga

— Rivian (@Rivian) September 26, 2024

Gen 2 headlights

In June, Rivian announced second-gen R1 vehicles, bringing a new horizontal light bar including RGB LEDs. It supports numerous features such as showing animation when the car is plugged in with a charging station.

The RGB LED bar can be customized for various animations and the red color’s sequential movement is not an exception to this upcoming change.

However, it’s hard to say whether this functionality will come to Gen 1 vehicles since these don’t equip the RGB LED bar. With that being said, more information will be announced in October.