In a world where cars are often either all business or all spectacle, Toyota has gone for something a bit different. The automaker has unveiled a one-off electric vehicle designed for the popular Australian children’s music group The Wiggles. Dubbed the Big Red Ute, it combines playful design with Toyota’s off-road heritage, and while it may look like a bit of a gimmick, there’s some genuine engineering at work beneath the colorful exterior.

Designed and developed locally by Toyota’s Product, Planning, and Development division, the Big Red Ute isn’t just a show pony. While this one-off clearly serves a specific purpose, some of its styling elements could hint at the upcoming ‘baby’ Toyota FJ Cruiser.

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The front end draws from the tough, utilitarian design of Toyota’s classic Cruiser J70, with a playful twist. The headlights, for instance, are LED screens that can display everything from pupils to hearts. Muscular fenders, exposed wheels, and underbody protection reinforce the pickup’s off-road character, while the 3,120 mm (122.8 inches) length keeps it compact enough for the stage without losing presence. The same applies to the chunky tires wrapped around the rainbow-themed 12-inch Turbofan wheels.

The exposed cabin accommodates four passengers, each with their own seatbelt attached to the oversized bull bar. Adding to the fun, there’s an integrated bubble machine at the rear, capable of producing 6,000 bubbles per minute, a feature guaranteed to captivate toddlers.

Toyota Australia

The name Big Red Ute is inspired by the latest song release from The Wiggles, while the colorful livery mirrors the Toyota Hilux featured in the music video.

Despite its toy-like appearance, this one-off is a fully functional vehicle, powered by a 48V electric powertrain, independent coil spring suspension, and drum brakes. Naturally, the top speed is limited to 20 km/h (12 mph), because, really, no “ute” needs to go faster than that on a music stage.

The Big Red Ute made its debut on December 7, when The Wiggles performed in Melbourne. The EV will accompany the band on the remainder of their Australian tour, before joining them for their global tour dates. The Wiggles have been around for three decades, earning the title of “the world’s most popular children’s entertainment group.”

Rivian came up with more creative ways to turn “spooky” this Halloween season. The automaker announced a new software update for 2024, adding “Car Costumes” inspired by the Knight Rider TV series and the Back To The Future films, alongside several Halloween-themed features.

The update is available for both the R1T and the R1S for a limited time, between October 18 and November 4. The highlight is that the Rivian EVs can replicate features of the K.I.T.T. and DeLorean Time Machine movie cars, using custom infotainment graphics, together with lightning and sound effects,

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The Knight Rider costume will turn your Rivian’s light bar into the iconic red scanner of the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, originally driven by David Hasselhoff. The actor even revisited his famous role for a cameo appearance behind the wheel of the Rivian R1T.

The Knight Rider treatment is more extensive inside the cabin. Rivian’s 15-inch infotainment display transforms into a replica of K.I.T.T.’s diagnostic panel with many colorful buttons, while the audio system plays the intro music from the popular series.

The next trick-or-treat special is inspired by Back To The Future. This one replicates the DeLorean Time Machine’s interface on the digital cockpit, with matching sound effects from the speakers. Furthermore, the “88 mph” button activates a light show on the exterior, making your time-traveling DeLoRivian even more noticeable.

The third option is the “Haunted Rivian Car Costume”, which gives you a choice between eight sound effects and three color themes. Depending on the selected Car Costume, the Gear Guard figure on the application dresses up like Knight Rider, Doc Brown, or a scarecrow.

Fun is good but safety is a top priority, meaning that the aforementioned gimmicks are only available when the vehicle is parked. Furthermore, the exterior lightning effects are reserved for the 2025 Rivian R1T and R1S models, making use of their light bars.

Besides the Car Costumes, the EVs swap the locking sound for different kinds of owl chirps. The digital instrument cluster turns pedestrians into zombies, while bicyclists and motorcyclists appear like headless horsemen. Finally, the Camp mode now features crows, pumpkins, and green flames, with similar Halloween-specific graphics for the drive modes.

This is not the first time that Rivian made Halloween a little more special for its customers, as the automaker rolled out similar updates in 2022 and 2023.