It’s like someone hit the Lucid Air with an embiggen ray.
Lucid has been impressing critics and customers alike with its all-electric Air sedan since launch. While the brand has certainly had some teething problems, like build quality issues, software bugs, and production slowdowns, that’s pretty normal with upstart auto companies. Despite those issues, the Lucid Air is among the most impressive and exciting electric vehicles on sale. But impressive though it is, Lucid was never going to really break into the American market without an SUV. That’s why the new Lucid Gravity exists.
The Gravity has been in Lucid’s plans from the beginning. Sketches for both cars were released at around the same time, and the Gravity was always meant to be the second act. Now that it’s finally here, it wears a familiar design and packs similar specs to its sedan sibling.
Using the same 900-volt battery architecture as the Air, the Lucid Gravity is said to have a maximum range of over 440 miles and a 0-60 mph time of under 3.5 seconds. Lucid doesn’t say which models will boast those range and performance figures, though. Nor does it say how big the battery will be, but Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson claims that it’s “a little more than half the size of some of our battery hungry competitors.” Shots fired at GM’s 200 kWh-plus Ultium batteries?
The Lucid Air Dream Edition’s battery is 112 kWh, while the Pure and Touring models get a smaller 92 kWh pack. It would be safe to safe that the Gravity will use the same packs. The Gravity is also said to be able to charge up to 200 miles of range in 15 minutes and should boast the same charge speeds as the Air: 300 kW for the Dream edition and 250 kW for other models.
Don’t expect a massive payload capacity, as the Gravity can only handle 1,500 pounds, but the electric SUV is said to be able to tow 6,000 pounds, which is half a ton more than the Tesla Model X.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Lucid Gravity looks like someone shot the Air with an embiggen ray. It has the same front end, with the same headlights, just with a taller front fascia. Unlike the sedan, though, the frunk is large enough to double as seating for two with the hood open, like a backwards Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Lucid even incorporated the Air’s floating roofline into the Gravity’s D-pillar, with an added roof spoiler.
That said, while the Air is a sleek, sophisticated looking sedan with hints of French car design, the Gravity isn’t quite as elegant, and doesn’t wear the design language with the same grace. Size probably has something to do with it.
The “Air-but-more” motif continues in the cabin, where the Gravity’s infotainment screen is squarer, larger, and now floats on the dashboard, unlike the Air’s rectangular screen that’s built into the center console. For some reason, Lucid dropped the Air’s almost perfectly designed steering wheel for an oddly shaped squircle with confusing thumb buttons. It looks like someone dropped an anvil on a steering wheel that used to be round.
Second row passengers will be happy, as they will have enough room to get tray tables on the front seat-backs. And since the Gravity is a seven-seater, there will be a two-seat third-row option.
The Gravity will start at under $80,000, according to Lucid, but it’s unclear what sort of range and performance customers can expect from that entry-level model. We’ll have to wait until its late-2024 release date to find out.
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