Lucid teases midsize model for 2026; says Gravity EV will use Tesla's NACS plug next year

Lucid Motors teased its midsize crossover with an image showing a sleek, sculpted design. The model, CEO Peter Rawlinson told Automotive News, will target the Tesla Model Y in two years.

"This is going to be a better car, a superior car and more cost effective to make than the current bestselling car in the world," Rawlinson said, referring to the Model Y. "We are competitors today with Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, but in the future, with the midsize, it will be Tesla."

Rawlinson made the comments before Lucid's Sept. 10 technology and manufacturing day at its Casa Grande, Ariz., factory. Lucid invited financial analysts to tour the facility, which was expanded this year.

Lucid sells the Air large sedan and is preparing to launch the three-row Gravity crossover this year. The Air has a starting price of $71,400 with shipping, and the Gravity will start just above $80,000 with shipping. The midsize crossover, due in 2026, will start around $50,000 with shipping, Lucid said.

"The new crossover will use the efficiency and cost advantages enabled by Lucid technology to deliver the same range as competitors while using a smaller battery," Lucid said in a Sept. 10 press release. Lucid has not publicly given a name to the future crossover.

The Arizona factory event will also show "that Gravity is destined to be the best SUV ever, with an incredible range of capabilities," Rawlinson said. The large crossover will go 440 miles on a charge and have interior volume similar to big, American SUVs while driving like a sports car, he said.

Lucid confirmed that the Gravity will incorporate the Tesla-designed charging connector — the North American Charging Standard — but not at launch. The NACS connector will facilitate charging on Tesla's Supercharger network.

"The Lucid Gravity will be equipped with a NACS charging connector in 2025, allowing access to 15,000-plus Superchargers. The Lucid Gravity is scheduled for start of production later this year," Lucid said.

Tesla started opening the network to rivals this year, but only Ford and Rivian have been granted access so far, according to Tesla's website.

Gravity prototypes have been spotted on public streets with two charging ports, leading to speculation the crossover might have both the Tesla-designed NACS plug and a rival design, the Combined Charging System. Most non-Tesla automakers use the CCS connector but are switching their vehicles to NACS in coming years.

Rawlinson said the presence of the two connector types on Gravity prototypes is necessary for testing because some markets, such as Europe and the Middle East, will continue to use CCS as their charging standard. Production versions of the Gravity will have one connector or the other, but not both, he said.

Electric vehicles with the CCS connector in North America can access Superchargers with an adapter.

Another goal of the Arizona factory tour, Rawlinson said, is to show industry analysts that Lucid's technology can be used to scale its business in a cost-efficient manner. The Air is both the most efficient vehicle in North America and has the longest range of any EV at over 500 miles.

"There is a misunderstanding that the only reason we can possibly achieve this must be that somehow we're using very expensive materials, very expensive processes, that we've thrown so much crazy money at it and that's how we have this advantage," Rawlinson said. In fact, "the technology is surprisingly affordable."

Lucid said that as of Aug. 31, it had delivered more Airs than in all of 2023, without giving the number. Lucid sold 6,001 cars last year and has forecast about 9,000 deliveries for this year.

In the second quarter of this year, Lucid reported a net loss of $790 million on revenue of $201 million. Lucid said it ended the second quarter with cash, cash equivalents and investments of $4.3 billion.

The automaker announced in August that its largest shareholder, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, would inject an additional $1.5 billion in cash, providing sufficient liquidity into at least the fourth quarter of 2025, the company said.

Compared with the Air, the Gravity will reach a potential market six times larger since U.S. consumers prefer crossovers to sedans, Rawlinson said in August.