Can an SUV be as efficient as a sedan? That was the promise Lucid made when it revealed the Gravity, the SUV in which it made its biggest bets for high sales volumes. According to the BEV maker, the SUV is now in a new "phase of development, now testing on public roads throughout the US." That means it may be pretty close to its world premiere.
Most automakers only announce public tests with lightly disguised prototypes when they want to drive attention to a new product. It has very little to do with development needs and everything to owe to marketing strategies. Just check the camo: it has the name of the company and icons for Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. People will share pictures of the prototypes on social media, journalists will write about such images, and the nameplate Gravity will receive a lot of publicity. Aware of that, let's seize the opportunity to share what we already know about Lucid's seven-seater.
It is very unlikely that a taller and heavier vehicle than the Air will present the same range or efficiency numbers as the electric sedan. That said, using the Lucid Electric Advanced Platform (LEAP) should only ensure that it will be a very efficient electric SUV. Lucid promises it will be the SUV with more electric range for sale. For those shopping for that kind of car, it may be more than enough. They will applaud if the Gravity manages to deliver more than 400 miles of range. Although 500 miles are possible, getting there will be a massive technical challenge.
Photo: Lucid
The LEAP will give the Gravity the same power and battery pack possibilities. Expect to see the same derivatives as well, including the Sapphire. What may be unique in the electric SUV – at least for a brief period – is the new Glass Cockpit high-resolution displays, which will come with the new generation of Lucid UX, the company's software. The Air should get the same equipment in its 2024 model year.
Lucid initially expected to sell 20,000 units of the Air in 2022, but the production number was 7,180 units. With 4,369 deliveries last year, the company still had 2,811 to hand to customers. In Q1 2023, it manufactured 2,314 more units. Still, it delivered only 1,406 BEVs, which raised the volume of vehicles in the inventory to 3,719: 9,494 BEVs made from 2022 until now and 5,775 customers getting them in the sale period.
Photo: Lucid
As those numbers already include sales in Europe – deliveries there started in December 2022 – it would be risky to say all these cars are in transit to reach their customers. Although it is safe to assume some are, others may just have been refused by their buyers. The explanation may be more complex than just that, and Lucid may prefer not to comment on the reason for its increasing inventory.
What matters is that the company was planning to sell around 49,000 vehicles in 2023 before it reduced these estimates. The Air would respond for approximately 36,000 units, and Lucid would sell 12,000 Gravities. In 2024, the electric SUV would already overtake the sedan with 49,000 units against 41,000 Airs, for a total of 90,000 vehicles. Considering the current sales pace, we probably will not see these numbers anytime soon for Lucid.
Photo: Lucid
To make matters worse, the BEV maker is facing very similar issues to those that currently plague Tesla, such as paint frailty, 12V battery failures, trim defects, and more. For a company that delayed its official commercial debut to ensure the Air would be impeccable, that was a massive blow. The economy's situation and higher interest rates do not help either. It may be the case that a vehicle with a higher sales potential is everything Lucid needs. The Air would do pretty well in China – a market that loves sedans – but we have yet to hear about any such plans.
Although SUVs are much more attractive to customers nowadays, the Gravity should also be more expensive than the Air, which may be another hurdle in Lucid's path. If Tesla's experience can help us with that, the Model Y is also more expensive than the Model 3 and presents much better sales numbers. Lucid clearly hopes that this is also the case with the Air and the Gravity.
These marketing stunts usually last two to three months, so it would be fair to say the Gravity will make its premiere in the third quarter of the year. As that depends on industrial capacity and what suppliers can do, do not be surprised if it takes a little longer. That would be a good opportunity for Lucid to fix the Air issues before Gravity owners also experience them.
I was just drive through Pescadero and came across a Lucid shoot. They blocked off the road with CHP for the Lucid Air & Lucid SUV
The pics aren’t that great but here they are. #LucidAir#lucidpic.twitter.com/9BzJq5h59S
Google News