Lucid Gravity is a suburban force, not a ‘rock-crawler,' design chief says

PHOENIX — Lucid Motors' upcoming crossover will be aimed more toward urban and suburban drivers than to hardcore off-roaders, the electric vehicle startup's chief designer said.

Lucid is developing the Gravity crossover to be introduced in late 2023.

"The character of the [crossover] will still have a strength and a robustness," said Derek Jenkins, Lucid's senior vice president of design and brand. "It'll still have the ability to have a respectable ground clearance if needed. But we're not making a rock-crawler here."

It will be assembled at the company's Casa Grande, Ariz., plant near Phoenix, where serial production of the Air sedan began last week.

The luxury crossover will have room for up to seven passengers, said Jenkins, who before joining Lucid was design director for Mazda North America Operations and chief designer for Volkswagen in North America.

Jenkins said the Gravity's styling will borrow several design elements from the Air and be built on the same platform.

"Of course, it's not a one-for-one translation," he said. "There's an evolution there. The Air is low and sleek. The Gravity will have some of that character, but it's clearly got an SUV stature to it."