Rivian confirms new purple exterior color called ‘Borealis’ and is exploring interior scents

After nearly a year of speculation online, Rivian has confirmed it will begin offering a new purple exterior color, and we now have the name – Borealis. Inspired by its own community, Rivian’s latest color will be available for a limited time on select variants and arrives as part of a broader design initiative focused on sensory experiences.

Welp, Rivian is actually offering purple EVs.

We had a feeling that this news might be coming at some point, and the confirmation has been nearly a year in the making. Earlier in 2025, some Redditors in the Rivian community started posting images of what appeared to be a purple R1S Quad out in the wild.

We covered the news about 8 months later when fresh images once again emerged of the same truck and the same dealership plates. We could confirm there was at least one purple Rivian, still owned and operated by the American EV automaker, in existence.

What we could not confirm was whether the Grimace-mobile was a one-off or a hint at plans for a new exterior color option. At the time, representatives for Rivian said they could not comment on speculation, but also did not dismiss any indications that a new purple exterior could be in the works.

This morning, Rivian made its presence known at Collins Park during Art Week Miami Beach, where it has set up a multi-sensory exhibition that includes scent, touch, and, of course, the sight of the new Borealis purple exterior. Check it out.

Rivian to offer customers a purple exterior option

During Art Week Miami Beach 2025, which kicked off earlier this week, Rivian has unveiled an exhibition called “Rewilding the Future,” an “immersive exploration of the natural systems” that shape Rivian’s design process.

This multi-sensory exhibit will expose visitors to a range of experiences, including a tactile “touch” where they can create their own objects from recycled and upcycled materials. Rivian also shared that it is exploring scents and has developed one for the exhibit highlighted in The Scent of Terrain. Visitors can first deconstruct the unique scent by smelling the individual top, mid, and base notes in glass flasks before sniffing an oil that combines them all into one sensory experience. Liz Guerrero, Sr. Director of Marketing Experiences at Rivian, elaborated:

Scent is uniquely memorable and we want to get to a place where we have a scent that becomes synonymous with the Rivian brand, sparking that amazing recall that you almost don’t realize you have. This is the next step in the learning process, and we’re excited to see the response.

It is unclear whether there is a specific goal in mind for Rivian’s scent-tric “learning process,” but it could involve brand-specific aromas inside or outside its EVs. Perhaps that new car smell will be “Terrain,” or you will be able to buy some Rivian cologne next holiday season. Rivian has not confirmed any of this, although we did request more information on its plans to integrate scent into design (or not).

Last but not least, Rivian’s Miami exhibit is focused on sight – more specifically, the public debut of its new Borealis purple exterior color. Per Rivian:

This color is a dynamic, deep velvety purple that shifts with the light and captures the essence of the aurora borealis, nature’s most spectacular light show.  The inspiration for Borealis came directly from our community. During a 2024 solar event, a group of Rivian owners shot photos of their vehicles glowing under the surreal, purple-washed sky and it captured our design team’s imagination. Borealis pays homage to the spirit of exploration that defines our owners and celebrates the unexpected beauty found in mother nature.

In addition to Borealis, Rivian also debuted a new 20″ All-Terrain Burnished Bronze wheel (pictured above), available exclusively on its new Quad-Motor R1 lineup. As for the purple, Rivian said it is available to customers now on Tri and Quad configurations, but only for a limited time.

The Borealis debut is just one of several color stories being told at the Rivian art exhibit, and those purple EVs will be joined by the automaker’s R1S Quad Miami Edition, which will be on display at Miami Rivian Spaces in Aventura and Brickell beginning tomorrow (Thursday).