Lucid to launch Gravity crossover this year, midsize model in 2026

Lucid Motors wants to shake its reputation as a niche luxury automaker by launching the Gravity large crossover by the end of this year, followed by a lower-cost midsize crossover in late 2026.

The EV startup began production of its first vehicle, the Air sedan, in late 2021 achieving modest sales since the launch. Lucid expects to make about 9,000 Airs this year at its Casa Grande, Ariz., factory, the company said in August.

The Gravity will vastly improve Lucid's "total addressable market" since U.S. buyers prefer crossovers to sedans, CEO Peter Rawlinson said in August.

Still, the Gravity comes with a relatively high starting price of $80,000 before shipping. Lucid said it will launch a lower-cost vehicle — below $50,000 before shipping — on a midsize platform in late 2026.

"Lucid needs lower-cost models to expand its volume and market share," said Karl Brauer, executive analyst at iSeeCars. "The company has proven itself to be an engineering powerhouse, now it needs to prove it can sell in meaningful volumes."

Although Lucid reported a $790 million net loss in the second quarter, it also announced a new $1.5 billion investment from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, its majority shareholder. That gives the EV startup sufficient liquidity into at least the fourth quarter of 2025, the company said.

Gravity: Lucid turns to the crossover market with its second vehicle, a three-row crossover that promises similar performance to the Air but in a more popular body style. Lucid said the first preproduction Gravity models rolled off its Arizona assembly line in late July. The Gravity will have sports-car performance and up to 440 miles of electric range, the EV startup said. Lucid will introduce an optional air suspension on the Gravity and offer a standard 34-inch display that sits above the steering wheel. Lucid hasn't provided detailed price and trim information.

"The market's screaming for a product in the SUV segment from us and we've been hard at work for several years on this," Derek Jenkins, senior vice president of design and brand, told Automotive News in November. "It's really going to have that sporty GT vibe that the Air has with even more utility and space."

As with the Air, Lucid is expected to roll out higher trims of the Gravity first, said Robby DeGraff, manager of product and consumer insights at AutoPacific. The base Pure trim version should arrive in late 2025. A high-performance variant under the Sapphire subbrand could launch in 2026, he said. Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, said he expects the Gravity's start of production to slip to early 2025. He expects a freshen in 2028 "if it reaches the expected volumes." A redesign won't happen until after 2030, Fiorani said.

Air: The four-door sedan received some notable updates for the 2025 model year, but no styling changes. Lucid added a heat pump to save energy on heating and cooling. Lucid said the 2025 base Air Pure now goes 5 miles on a kilowatt-hour of energy, allowing it to retake the efficiency crown from the Hyundai Ioniq 6 sedan. The Pure's range rises to 420 miles from 410 miles. All 2025 Airs receive new computer hardware for snappier infotainment response. Two previously optional features — Lucid's top driver assistance and premium stereo — are standard across all trims for 2025. The starting price for the Pure trim is the same at $71,400 with shipping. The Air Touring is $1,000 more expensive than its predecessor at $80,400 and the Grand Touring also gets a $1,000 bump to $112,400 for 2025. Prices include shipping.

The Air is likely to get a freshen in 2026, DeGraff said. A full redesign could come in 2029. Although Air sales have been lackluster, Lucid is unlikely to discontinue the sedan. "Demand for the Air in the Middle East should keep the model in the lineup well into the next decade, with or without a major update," Fiorani said. Originally, the Air was expected to receive a major update in early 2027, he said, but that's now in doubt because of its low production volumes and Lucid's financial challenges, Fiorani added.

Midsize platform: Lucid is mostly following the playbook Tesla used a decade ago by launching a high-end sedan, followed by a high-end crossover and later rolling out more affordable vehicles with the Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover. However, Lucid's first vehicle on its new "midsize" platform will be a crossover because sedans aren't selling. It will compete with the Model Y, the future Rivian R2 and other EV crossovers in the compact and midsize segments. Lucid hasn't given any details on the midsize vehicle except its sub-$50,000 starting price.

Lucid's 2026 timeline for the midsize platform will depend on its financing from the Saudi investment fund, Fiorani said. Given Lucid's focus on efficiency, DeGraff expects to see a Model Y competitor that mirrors the strong design, technology and engineering of the Air and Gravity in a smaller package.