Lucid will address the core of the new car market with a crossover SUV called Gravity.
On Thursday, the Clear gravity The electric three-row crossover SUV debuted at the 2023 LA Auto Show. When it goes on sale in late 2024, Lucid predicts the Gravity will have a range of over 440 miles and base models will cost less than $80,000. However, these two numbers do not refer to the same vehicle.
Clear gravity
Lucid won’t provide details on the Gravity’s powertrain yet, but it will initially launch with a dual-motor variant and will achieve 0-60 mph in under 3.5 seconds. Power output is unknown, but all-wheel drive will be standard thanks to a motor on each axle. Like the Air sedan, a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive, three-motor Sapphire model is likely to be launched in due course. The engines are said to be a variant of the next generation of the Air sedan.
The details will be finalized in a year, but the Gravity’s drag coefficient is currently around 0.24, although the team is aiming for a value of 0.23 by the start of production. That would make it the most aerodynamic three-row crossover SUV. At 198 inches long, the Gravity is 1.3 inches longer than the Cadillac Lyriq.
The Gravity is based on a new vehicle-specific platform with an evolution of the automaker’s 900-volt electrical architecture. Lucid said the Gravity will be able to reach a range of 200 miles in 15 minutes, using a backpack about the size you’d find in the air. An available air suspension is paired with adaptive dampers. Lucid hasn’t detailed how much ground clearance the Gravity will have at its normal, maximum or lowest altitude.
Lucid executives said the Gravity’s strength will be on-road performance, but it will have a reasonable level of off-road capability, having a payload of 1,500 pounds and being able to tow up to 6,000 pounds.
Clear gravity
The design of Gravity developed from the concept teased in 2020. The overall proportions with short overhangs, rounded front end and Air Sedan-like details are all there, but the roofline has been changed in the name of aerodynamics. The rear portion of the roof tapers with a spoiler extending from the C-pillars to control airflow. The high beams are mounted in the center of the bumper below the horizontal low beams, and the front trunk opening extends into the front bumper to ensure a low ride-over height. Unlike the Air, the Gravity’s charging port door is not electrically operated and folds up and to the left when opened. The Frunk features an optional seat pad that clips in, allowing comfortable frunkging for two adults. There are even two cup holders under the hood, one on each side of the trunk.
Clear gravity
Inside the Gravity, the Air’s dashboard design is further developed. The 34-inch curved OLED digital display is now a single full screen instead of three screens under a glass panel. The steering wheel has an almost squircle design with two touchpads with haptic feedback. It sits lower in the air than the steering wheel so as not to block the view of the digital instrument cluster. A new 12.6-inch horizontal touchscreen houses the automaker’s next-generation operating system, called UX 3.0, and features a new, faster electrical architecture than the Air. For the core audio (volume control) and climate control functions, the hard toggles remain. and knobs exist. In the second row there are fold-out tables that are reminiscent of airplanes. Lucid assumes owners will bring their own tablets for work and play, and sees no need to install tablets for a rear-seat infotainment system that will seem outdated in a few years.
Clear gravity
Clear gravity
Clear gravity
Clear gravity
Each Gravity has three full rows of seating with room for seven passengers. A six-seat model with second-row captain’s seats is in the works, but won’t be available at launch. With a height of 1.70 m, I was able to sit comfortably behind me in all three rows. The second row splits into 40:20:40 sections, while the third row folds flat into cargo space in 50:50 sections and features minivan-like packaging. When the third row is in the upright position, a false floor in the cargo area conceals storage space. With both the second and third rows folded, Lucid says items 7.5 feet long can fit in the Gravity, and an 8.5-foot surfboard fits diagonally. Total cargo space is 112 cubic feet, including the approximately seven-foot trunk.
Every Gravity features automatic emergency braking, active lane control, a blind-spot monitor, a surround-view camera system and cruise control. The automaker’s DreamDrive Pro driver assistance system will be available and eventually promises to provide semi-autonomous driving capabilities.
