Rivian took inspiration from anime and “optimism” to transform car controls

As important as things like touchscreens and software are to the modern automotive experience, we rarely wonder why everything looks so ugly.

The average car’s touchscreen and menus probably have all the features of a Palm Pre, with the aesthetics and artistic value of a Fort Worth outlet mall. Their menus and controls often appear haphazardly designed and seem completely unmemorable. This remains true after more than a decade of in-car screen dominance and a future that, we are constantly told, will focus on over-the-air updates and smartphone-like tech features.

When Rivian set out to completely overhaul its in-car software experience, designers explained that it didn’t have to be this way.

The electric startup’s latest infotainment setup features cel-shaded renderings of its trucks and SUVs, complemented by animated depictions of various landscapes, bright colors, speed lines like you’d find in a Japanese manga comic, and plenty of “Easter eggs.” Background. New updates even give the software “costumes” inspired by classic TV shows and movies Back to the future And Knight rider.

When I asked Rivian Chief Design Officer Jeff Hammoud why his team chose this path, one word kept coming to mind: “Optimism.”

“We felt like it was an opportunity to have a bit of fun and create a personality around the car,” Hammoud said in a recent interview. Additionally, he said, the new software interfaces reflect a philosophy within Rivian. “We want everything to look inviting,” Hammoud said. “Our vehicles look friendly and that’s part of our brand… that optimism about what we want to achieve through electrification and protecting the world for our children.”

Photo by: InsideEVs

2025 Rivian R1S and R1T graphics

Rivian’s new interface language went live this summer on the heavily updated 2025 R1S and R1T models, as well as via software updates for earlier vehicles. They provide owners with an animated representation of their vehicle that rotates and changes as they do things like adjust ride height settings and different driving modes.

On another car, switching to Sport mode might mean a new set of gauges on the central display or switching the menus to a red color scheme. But on an R1S or R1T, a cartoon representation of the car zooms in on what looks like a race track while its glowing taillights fade into a red-and-white background. Instead of pop-ups confirming that you’re in “snow mode” or an off-road environment, Rivian offers a switch to an enchanting winter landscape or the vehicle on a rocky mountain. Clouds, windmills and birds move in the background and all these images take on a different character even at night.

Photo by: InsideEVs

2025 Rivian R1S and R1T graphics

Of course, none of this is strictly necessary for a car to function properly, and it’s highly unlikely that these animated graphics will be a crucial selling point. But they add a lot of intangibles to Rivian’s cars – character – and turn what was once an afterthought at best into something you actually look forward to. And Hammoud said a lot of effort has gone into developing this ecosystem.

“We took the idea of ​​manga-style films (or Studio Ghibli), these really optimistic films where you feel like you’re in another world, and really translated that into a style where we “We were able to create the different worlds of driving modes,” said Hammoud. He is of course referring to the famous Japanese animated classics by Hayao Miyazaki and other creators like Magically gone, My neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s delivery service and last The Boy and the Heron. All of these are groundbreaking animated films that were released to international success. But Hammoud said they also share the general sentiment that Rivian represents these days.

Photo by: InsideEVs

2025 Rivian R1S and R1T graphics

“You see something like Akiraversus Studio Ghibli,” he said, referring to the 1980s comic and groundbreaking animated film about a dystopian future. The latter is “a little more optimistic and more on the friendly side.” We want to convey power and dynamism with the vehicle, but we still wanted to have the atmosphere that makes you watch cartoons with your kids on a Sunday morning.

That’s in stark contrast to another flashy electric vehicle that has a decidedly apocalyptic energy: hard angles, supposedly bulletproof stainless steel, a “bioweapon defense mode.” Although Hammoud didn’t mention it by name, he made it clear that he, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe and their design teams didn’t share the same philosophy.

Photo by: InsideEVs

2025 Rivian R1S and R1T graphics

“If you look at trucks, their faces are very aggressive, very angry, like the front end could eat small children,” Hammoud said. “Intentionally we say, ‘Okay, we don’t need a big grill.’ We want it to look inviting. Check out our headlight shapes. Our vehicles look friendly.”

Much of this was made possible by the power of the Unreal Engine, a 3D graphics software system made famous in video games that is now making its way into the automotive world. This allowed Rivian’s artists and designers to easily “scale” all of these new images without having to draw each individual image individually.

“It was really important to us that the car you have is also the right set of wheels and the right color (on the screen) so that it is actually representative of your vehicle,” Hammoud said. “If we had to create an image for every single image (Rivian color or option), which we have done in the past, that would be thousands and thousands of images.”

With Unreal Engine, Hammoud said, “You enter the specs of the vehicle as if it’s a Forest Green car with 22 seconds, you just put that in the code and boom, it renders and updates.”

Photo by: InsideEVs

2025 Rivian R1S and R1T graphics

Rivian isn’t alone in trying to give its software experience, as well as its exterior design, a more distinctive look and character. Mini recently added a cartoon dog as an AI-powered virtual assistant to its infotainment systems, and several Chinese automakers are taking similar approaches. And like these cars, Rivian’s approach goes beyond just looks; In the age of software-controlled vehicles, these features provide drivers with new ways to interact with their vehicles and control their functions.

So does it work? Based on a recent test of a 2025 Rivian R1S, I think the answer is mostly yes. It’s fairly easy to find the features you want, and the large, bright displays offer new ways to present information to the driver. This is crucial because Rivian famously – or perhaps infamously – omits most physical buttons and Apple CarPlay from its electric vehicles. It also aims to do more with voice control, although it still has some work to do to keep up with many of its competitors.

But this software approach shows what Rivian is made of and why a traditional conglomerate like the Volkswagen Group sees such value in the company’s services. The 2025 R1S got better when I had it, receiving an over-the-air software update that improved the energy and efficiency gauges (bringing them in line with the rest of the car’s new artistic language) while also correcting some stereo system issues and adding the Halloween visual elements.

And until Rivian can get the upcoming R2, R3 and R3X models on the road, the company has even more to offer its current cars, both through software updates and further tweaks – although Hammoud was cautious about exactly what comes next.

“We have some new updates for R1 next year that I would like to introduce, some special editions,” said Hammoud. “I’ll leave it at that.”

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