Lock your Rivian this Halloween and hear the Ecto-1 siren bark back at you. That’s not a fever dream — it’s what Rivian and Sony Pictures cooked up together: multiple promotional Ecto-R1 builds stopping foot traffic cold across six cities, and a legitimate over-the-air software update turning compatible trucks into rolling Ghostbusters tributes. Two very different things. Don’t confuse them.
The Physical Beast
Multiple functional Ecto-R1 builds are hitting Rivian spaces nationwide — and none of them are for sale.
Rivian modified several R1S vehicles with restored vintage emergency lights, working sirens, a radar dish, and enough No-Ghost branding to make a 10-year-old lose their mind. The roof rack carries sirens, radar dish, and side tanks — all described as functional by Rivian and supporting reporting. The emergency lights are restored vintage units. Red body graphics and No-Ghost logos on the hood and front doors complete the tribute to the original Ecto-1, transplanted onto Rivian’s electric SUV platform.
Gil Kenan, who directed recent Ghostbusters films, directed the promotional spot alongside Sony Pictures. Bill Murray appears in promotional material as Peter Venkman, because of course he does.
The builds are on public display across:
- Laguna Beach
- Austin
- Venice
- Miami Brickell
- San Francisco
- New York’s Meatpacking District — where limited-edition merchandise will also be available
What Owners Actually Get
Halloween Mode hits R1 and R2 vehicles via OTA update from October 9 through November 2, 2026 — and it’s more layered than a seasonal car wash.
Here’s what’s in the update:
- Six light-and-sound shows: Ecto-1, Proton Pack, Slimer, Ghost Trap, Peter Venkman, and Random — each pairing custom LED sequences with themed soundscapes
- Motion Mode triggers a show when someone walks near the vehicle
- Lock sounds vary by generation: first-gen R1 gets Ecto-1; second-gen R1 and R2 choose among Ecto-1, Proton Pack, or Chant
- Trick or Treat Mode fires the Ghostbusters theme with synchronized interior displays, exterior lighting, and sound effects
- Mallow Mash lets occupants pop Mini-Pufts on the parked display; a scavenger hunt hides Ghostbusters characters across familiar vehicle screens
Controls extend to the Rivian mobile app. R1 owners need software version 2026.36.0; R2 owners need 2026.36.40.
The Bigger Picture
Seasonal software experiences and themed soundscapes suggest Rivian sees its vehicles as entertainment platforms — and Ghostbusters is the clearest proof yet.
Rivian is writing a different job description for what a truck is supposed to be. Where over-the-air updates once meant bug fixes and range tweaks, Rivian is pushing further — using them to build a personality, season by season. Arcade games on the parked display, six-themed light-and-sound shows, lock tones drawn from a 1984 film franchise: that’s not a software update, that’s a character study. The Ecto-R1 supplies the spectacle; the software update supplies the reason to care after the photo op fades.
Halloween Mode expires November 2, 2026. If your Rivian is sitting on an older build, update it before the clock runs out. A radar dish on an electric SUV deserves at least one good siren moment before the season ends.
