During the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Phase 2 expansion of Lucid Motors' AMP-1 facility in Casa Grande, Arizona, Electrek received an exclusive look at Lucid's upcoming Gravity SUV. The event included a factory tour, an interview with CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson, and insights from Senior Vice President of Design and Brand Derek Jenkins.
The expansion, covering 3 million square feet, consolidates Lucid's production and storage into one facility, incorporating a stamping machine and a second body shop where the Gravity SUV will be manufactured. The Gravity SUV has been in the works since 2020, and details emerged in November 2022 when interior images were revealed ahead of reservations.
Some highlights of the Gravity SUV include a 440-mile range, distinctive design upgrades, and a unique front end referred to as "frunking." The vehicle is positioned as a mid-size electric SUV, aiming to compete with models like Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y.
With the opening of the Phase 2 facility, Lucid is gearing up for scaled production of the Gravity SUV. The event provided an opportunity for a closer look at the SUV and an interview with Derek Jenkins, providing insights into the design and features of Lucid's upcoming electric vehicle.
Gravity is Lucid’s next chapter en route to “mid-size”
While Gravity is still very much a high-end luxury SUV that competes with Mercedes-Benz and other luxury brands, this electric vehicle is more than simply Lucid's newest expensive model. It's the result of combining design cues that negate subtleties with additional knowledge gained by developing the Air.
In addition, Gravity serves as Lucid's premium "yin" to the Air's "yang," a bookend to the ultra-luxe EVs and a transition into Lucid's more reasonably priced "mid-size" and beyond, if it survives long enough to achieve that goal. Nevertheless, a lot depends on Gravity's success, and Lucid's staff is optimistic that people will flock toward it.
It was energizing to view, touch, and even climb into the third row of Gravity and receive design feedback directly from one of the top brains behind it, Derek Jenkins, as we had previously covered the SUV's specs up and down since last year:
Gravity had its own unique set of attributes and challenges over Air to really create the next generation of SUV and excel at all of our unique attributes of aerodynamics, efficiency, space utility, flexibility, road worthiness, and degree of off-road capability.
Jenkins gave us his word that Gravity will be the market's most aerodynamic SUV. While the Air and Gravity share many design features, Lucid has added some brand-new, intriguing elements that you may or may not have noticed. You have undoubtedly seen the rear seat, but the SUV's dashboard is entirely different from the sedan's.
Although the driver's display is part of the dashboard in the Air, the steering wheel can obscure around 35% of it. Jenkins told us it really concerned him, so they changed the steering wheel, which is shorter but still rounded at the bottom as you can see in the photos above, and relocated the curved display up below the sight line and into full view.
Lucid Gravity will join a select but increasing group of bigger electric SUVs that promise 6-7 passengers via a third row when manufacturing starts later this year. In certain cars, like the Kia EV9, the third row is a gimmick that can hardly fit kids; in other cars, though, it's still snug but manageable. According to Jenkins, when creating Gravity, it was essential to optimize space and provide flexible cargo space along with an additional third row.
The A-post is really far forward, the driver and passenger are pushed forward, and that’s what enables this really large cargo and people area. As we connected more and more with, not only Lucid owners but family SUV owners, second row, third row spaciousness as well as cargo flexibility and overall cargo is paramount. It literally trumps everything.
So we spent so much time optimizing the package, learned a lot from Air and stretched it. You end up with this very long sleek cabin, short nose, and as you come toward the back of the car, there is a lot of taper in the cabin while still preserving really really good third row headroom. Making a proper third row was a big big part of this.
The Lucid Gravity elevates flexible cargo to a new level, while the Air sedan already has the biggest frunk in the industry. The ability to fully fold down the seats in the passenger compartment is a major plus, and the rear well storage inside the trunk is immense.
Peter Rawlinson told me he hopes future owners utilize it to haul 2x4s, and Derek told me he could put an 8.5-foot surfboard diagonally in the trunk. We'll see about it, but Gravity's constant use of space efficiency is undeniable. Look at this:
The seats on the second row also fold flat. Finally, I asked Derek what he thought US customers would be most excited about when they get to experience this SUV up close as I did, while we were sat in the Lucid Gravity:
I think it’s two things. First, I think the cockpit will be a fresh experience for most people because it’s different from most of our mainstream competitors and I think the steering configuration is unique. I also think the cargo experience is going to be awesome. Not just for micro cargo, but also frunk, trunk, seat flexibility, and then human space.
Being able to have a car with this level of performance, agility, capability on-road and off-road, and yet still be just under the Cadillac Escalade in terms of overall interior volume, which is just crazy. That car is four feet longer than this thing. It not only has to look great and drive great, but it has to do the job. i think people are going to be astounded here because thaty’s what’s important in the segment.
Our next task is to take the Lucid Gravity for a test drive and evaluate what kind of performance it can offer. We are currently working on that prospect, so stay tuned for a comprehensive update shortly.
0 Comments