Lucid New Lucid Gravity is seven-seat super-SUV to rival Tesla Model X


Lucid is a luxury EV maker founded in 2007. Majority-owned by the Saudi PIF, it builds the ultra-efficient Air sedan and Gravity SUV. Official: Lucid

Tourbillon

Cornering Kingpin
Messages
9,107
The new Lucid Gravity is a tech-rich and highly luxurious electric SUV aimed squarely at the BMW iX and Mercedes EQS SUV.

Due on sale in 2024, it is the second model in the California-based EV start-up's portfolio, after the Lucid Air luxury saloon - tipped for an imminent European and UK market launch – and will share the bulk of its technical make-up with its ultra-aero-efficient sibling.

The final production design remains to be finalised, but teasers indicate the Gravity will bear a strong resemblance to the Air - most notably in its aero-optimised silhouette and distinctive wraparound light bars.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.



It will offer a flexible seating arrangement with space for up to seven adults, Lucid promises, and will feature the latest version of Lucid's 'Glass Cockpit' digital dashboard, running off the firm's own software.

The firm's design boss Derek Jenkins hinted that innovative packaging solutions will make the Gravity feel bigger than it looks: "I’m so thrilled with the results we are seeing with Lucid Gravity, sparing no opportunity to build on everything we learned with Lucid Air to create something that warps the vehicle-class continuum.

"It is both a supercar in disguise and an SUV with flexible passenger and cargo space that seems impossibly big relative to the exterior size of the vehicle. And it does this all with Lucid’s distinctive post-luxury design, inspired by California.”

Technical details remain under wraps, but any top-rung 'Dream Edition' variant, as offered on the Air, would be one of the world's most potent and quickest series-production EVs, let alone SUVs. The Lucid Air Dream Edition features a 1065bhp twin-motor, four-wheel-drive powertrain which shoots it from 0-62mph in less than 3.0sec, and draws its reserves from a 113kWh battery – the largest of any production car – for a claimed range of around 516 miles.

No doubt Lucid will also offer the Gravity with the choice of 612bhp and 789bhp four-wheel-drive powertrains, and could also market an entry-level rear-wheel-drive version with 395bhp. A smaller 75kWh battery is offered in the Air, which would endow the taller and heavier Gravity with a range in the region of 230 miles.

As reported by Autocar, a rapid tri-motor version of the Air is inbound with more than 1600bhp, though it is unclear how advanced this project is, nor whether such a system would be used in the Gravity. Intriguingly, Lucid promises the Gravity will offer "supercar levels of performance", implying that pace will be a priority.

Further information will be released when Lucid starts taking reservations early next year, but it is safe bet that it will be priced to compete with similarly positioned luxury EVs from established marques, so expect the line-up to open at around $80,000 (£67,000) in the US.


lucid-gravity-front-end.v1.jpg


Lucid has confirmed plans to sell the Gravity outside of its home market, but has given no timeframe for a roll-out on this side of the Atlantic.

The company is understood to initially be targeting Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Monaco, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Norway when it launches in Europe, with a UK launch to follow, though orders for the Air have yet to open here.
Peter Rawlinson, both CEO and chief technical officer of Lucid, said: "Gravity builds upon everything we have achieved thus far, driving further advancements of our in-house technology to create a luxury performance SUV like none other.

"Just as Lucid Air redefined the sedan category, so too will Gravity impact the world of luxury SUVs, setting new benchmarks across the board."
 
Lucid Gravity on-road testing suggests EV launch on-track
Development of the much-anticipated electric sport-ute seems be on schedule, with a target production date of early 2024!

Published Apr 25, 2023

1682436003416.webp



The news that yet another electrified sport-utility vehicle is hitting the road for testing would not normally be news. There is, after all, a battery-powered revolution going on, and, of course, SUVs are the hottest-selling vehicle in North America. So it’s no surprise that someone is testing a battery-powered SUV. But this is Lucid, and, more specifically, the SUV in question is the much-anticipated Gravity.

Lucid is the manufacturer of the Air, the electric vehicle that currently boasts the highest EPA-rated battery range of any EV, at 516 miles (830 km), and over 1,000 horsepower, all hooked up to a luxury sedan worthy of a Mercedes badge. That lineage is important since, Driving, like most pundits, expects the Gravity to share the Air’s specifications, save, of course, for the fact that it sits seven.
That means a battery pack boasting up to 112 kilowatt-hours of lithium-ions; and a dual-motor drive setup that pumps out 1,050 hp. There’s even talk of a tri-motor version with more than 1,200 horses, but that’s still (informed) speculation.

So, despite the fact Lucid is, like so many EV start-ups right now, experiencing slower than expected production and sales, finding out the Gravity is being tested on public streets is big news. Will Lucid be the company that can solve the electrified-SUV segment’s range issues? Will it be able to transpose the Air’s aerodynamic excellence — one of the major reasons for Lucid’s incredible range ratings — onto an SUV?

We don’t know. We do know the Gravity will ride on a longer wheelbase than the Air, will be available with air suspension, and will make space and energy efficiency its calling cards, not, as with so many top-flight electrified trucks and SUVs these days, sheer battery size.

2024-Lucid-Gravity-testing-3-768x432.webp


“I am excited to see the Gravity SUV moving forward so quickly in its development, as it builds upon everything this company has achieved thus far and drives further advancements of our inhouse technology to create a luxury electric SUV like none other,” Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO of Lucid, offers us in the meantime.

That, given the wonkiness of some of his EV competitors, would seem a confirmation that mass production of the Gravity will start in early 2024 as promised."
 
image_430e2168-e89c-4768-ab11-80f7823fa4d420230512_154145.webp


This one, although the technical specifications aren't exactly set in stone, is going to be a monster.
 

She's actually moving on the website plus technical specifications are available. (Mostly).
 
This looks really good, love that huge windscreen with the glass extending all the way to the top of the front seat headrests. One of the best looking EV SUVs ever.
 
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
 
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
 
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
 

Trending content


Back
Top