Having positioned itself as a pure-bred American electric luxury carmaker with premium and sophisticated cars like the Air and Gravity, California-based Lucid Motors is working on smaller, more affordable models to make the brand widely accessible. The company is developing a Tesla Model Y rivaling midsize SUV as the first such EV.
Here are five things you should know about the future midsize SUV, which could be launched as the Lucid Earth.
Sleek, understated design
One of the teasers Lucid Motors released earlier in 2024 indicates that its midsize SUV will have a pared-back design similar to the Gravity. As we’ve depicted in our exclusive renderings shown in this article, expect it to have a curvy body that promises class-leading aerodynamic efficiency, a low and wide stance, super-slim, Micro Lens Array (MLA) headlights, a petal-shaped greenhouse, and 22-inch wheels in the top-end variant.
Atlas Drive Unit
The electric drive unit (EDU) of the Lucid midsize SUV, called ‘Atlas,’ will be notably compact and boast an impressive power-to-weight ratio. The company’s next-generation EDU will bear all the learnings from the ‘Zeus’ EDU of the Gravity. Lucid Motors says the Atlas EDU will produce 335 hp, meaning the midsize SUV’s dual-motor AWD configurations (including the Grand Touring or its equivalent) could pack well over 600 hp of total power.
NACS charging port
Lucid Motors will equip its midsize SUV with a NACS charging connector, giving customers access to more than 17,800 Tesla Supercharger charging stations in the U.S. and Canada. Now known as SAE J3400, NACS will soon become the official standard charging connector in the U.S., which will lead to a rapid expansion of compatible EV charging stations across charge point operators (CPOs).
Long range
The Lucid Earth midsize SUV will likely deliver an EPA-estimated range of between 350 and 400 miles in at least one of its single-motor RWD configurations.
(When) we get to mid-size, we’ll be able to have a competitive range with a relatively tiny battery pack and much less cost than anyone else.
Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO, Lucid Motors (Technology and Manufacturing Day on September 10, 2024)
Sub-USD 50,000 pricing
Lucid Motors will likely price the midsize SUV from under USD 50,000. The company plans to manufacture it at the Casa Grande (Arizona) domestic plant and even at its first overseas plant, located in King Abdullah Economic City (Makkah), Saudi Arabia.
This is our product, which we’re targeting about $48,000 to $50,000. And the vision is I’d love to sell USD 1 million of these a year. And the opportunity is fast.
Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO, Lucid Motors (Lucid Motors Q3 2024 earnings conference call on November 7, 2024)
At the Technology and Manufacturing Day 2024 event, Lucid Motors CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson said that it will unveil the new model “maybe sometime next year.” What we know for certain is that Lucid plans to start the production of its Model Y alternative only in late 2026. Thus, we think deliveries in the U.S. will commence in the October-December 2026 timeline.
Featured Image: TopElectricSUV’s illustration of the Lucid midsize SUV.
I got my Master’s in Business Management & Administration and have been an International Automotive News Editor since 2014. I’ve traveled to global motor shows and automotive events, driven various types of vehicles, and focused on hybrid and electric cars in the last 4 years.
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