Gravity Spec coming Oct 3 ?

[bb2e]

Motor Trent - What's next for Lucid

Says order books to follow soon after. It quotes Eric Bach, senior vice president of product and chief engineer. We'll soon see. Touring and GT in initial offer. Says 80k so sounds like 80K for a Touring.

 

[xponents]

Subsequent plans call for a single-motor, front-wheel-drive version using Lucid’s second-generation powertrain, dubbed Atlas.

WTF? Why not RWD? Oh boy, is this going to make the “Gravity is a minivan” crowd happy…

 

[DeaneG]

Confirming that GT and Touring trims will be first - makes sense to me. The interview with Eric Bach was this week. It's pretty recent info rather than old rumors.

 

[DeaneG]

WTF? Why not RWD? Oh boy, is this going to make the “Gravity is a minivan” crowd happy…

The smaller drive unit will properly go in the front of dual-motor cars. The rear motor can exert more torque on the rear wheels under hard acceleration due to weight transfer in the car. It's pretty easy to leave the smaller, less expensive motor in the front for a single motor, lower-price-point vehicle, rather than designing the vehicle to have either the big motor or the small one installed in the rear depending on the trim level.

 

[OCDC]

WTF? Why not RWD? Oh boy, is this going to make the “Gravity is a minivan” crowd happy…

A lot of "SUV"s are front wheel drive these days. See Escape, Rouge, CR-V, RAV-4, previous generation Explorer, Highlander, etc.

 

[Pragmatic]

They are front drive because they are originally based on a fwd car architecture. This was done because with 55 to 60 percent of the weight on the front people were want the added traction to start moving in the snow.
With a BEV and higher weight (close to or greater than 50% on the rear) this argument goes out the window. If you are going to only drive one axle of a BEV it should be the rear, especially if you are marketing yourself as a driver's centric vehicle and not an appliance.

 

[joec]

They are front drive because they are originally based on a fwd car architecture. This was done because with 55 to 60 percent of the weight on the front people were want the added traction to start moving in the snow.
With a BEV and higher weight (close to or greater than 50% on the rear) this argument goes out the window. If you are going to only drive one axle of a BEV it should be the rear, especially if you are marketing yourself as a driver's centric vehicle and not an appliance.

I think Lucid has earned enough of a reputation for knowing more than your average Internet forum how to make a vehicle “go” in the most satisfying way possible.

Let’s give them a little bit of a benefit of the doubt here.

I love how people immediately assume the people who engineered Sapphire just forgot everything they know about driving dynamics for Gravity.

 

[hmp10]

Touring and GT in initial offer.

Actually, the article contradicted itself on this point. At one point It read, "It will be offered initially in Grand Touring and Touring trims." Then two paragraphs later it read, "Bach said the team has not decided on all the configurations at launch, other than that the GT will be the first."

Nowhere was there mention of a Dream Edition, and it appears there is uncertainty about when -- or maybe even whether? -- there will be a Sapphire version down the road. ("The team is still thinking about what to do on the performance side so no announcement on an Air Sapphire–matching Gravity yet as the company continues to grapple with timing.")

 

[joec]

Motor Trent - What's next for Lucid

Says order books to follow soon after. It quotes Eric Bach, senior vice president of product and chief engineer. We'll soon see. Touring and GT in initial offer. Says 80k so sounds like 80K for a Touring.

I’m curious to meet this Trent fella.

 

[charleyscott]

We'll soon see. Touring and GT in initial offer. Says 80k so sounds like 80K for a Touring.

The article is not very clearly written, but I don't think this is correct. The $80k price would be for a Pure. Eventually.

Peter Rawlinson said the following on September 12: "We envisage Gravity being from a price point just below $80,000 at some stage. I'm not saying we will launch with that variant, of course." So, again, it seems as though the $80k price would be for a Pure, later in time.

My concern (which I have expressed previously) is that the Pure won't come until 2026 (as an FWD variant using the new Atlas drivetrain). This article leaves open that possibility---again, not very clearly written.

 

[momo3605]

A lot of "SUV"s are front wheel drive these days. See Escape, Rouge, CR-V, RAV-4, previous generation Explorer, Highlander, etc.

Great Point! If the Ford Escape and Nissan Rogue are FWD, makes total sense for Lucid’s $80k+ luxury/performance SUV to follow in those legendary footsteps.

 

[xponents]

Great Point! If the Ford Escape and Nissan Rogue are FWD, makes total sense for Lucid’s $80k+ luxury/performance SUV to follow in those legendary footsteps.

Right? Shouldn’t we be comparing it to luxury SUVs?

X7, Cayenne, Range Rover, GLS, Aviator, QX80, etc… all of these are either RWD or AWD. As @DeaneG said, there is definitely a cost/simplicity benefit here for Lucid, but how else would the vehicle be better in any way over RWD?

Also, from a marketing perspective, if Lucid wants to refute the thoughts of those who think the Gravity is a minivan, it being FWD will not help.

 

[hydbob]

Right? Shouldn’t we be comparing it to luxury SUVs?

X7, Cayenne, Range Rover, GLS, Aviator, QX80, etc… all of these are either RWD or AWD. As @DeaneG said, there is definitely a cost/simplicity benefit here for Lucid, but how else would the vehicle be better in any way over RWD?

Also, from a marketing perspective, if Lucid wants to refute the thoughts of those who think the Gravity is a minivan, it being FWD will not help.

I don't think being FWD makes it anymore a minivan...that's asinine.

 

[Pragmatic]

I don't think being FWD makes it anymore a minivan...that's asinine.

Maybe be not a minivan but not an upper end vehicle. There is a reason BMW is RWD based and Camry is not. While Camry is a fine car it does not pretend to market to the same segment a 3-Series does.
FWD's only advantages over RWD are cost, packaging and additional traction if weight distribution is heavy in the front.
Also there is no reason to belittle someone else's comment just because you don't see it's value.

 

[hmp10]

Just a thought, pure speculation, a total SWAG . . .

With orders to open "shortly after" October 3 and Erich Bach saying trim levels at launch have not yet been decided other than a Grand Touring, this suggests to me that the main differences in the Grand Touring and the Touring might be more in software-enabled features than in core hardware?

 

[ken43]

Actually, the article contradicted itself on this point. At one point It read, "It will be offered initially in Grand Touring and Touring trims." Then two paragraphs later it read, "Bach said the team has not decided on all the configurations at launch, other than that the GT will be the first."

Nowhere was there mention of a Dream Edition, and it appears there is uncertainty about when -- or maybe even whether? -- there will be a Sapphire version down the road. ("The team is still thinking about what to do on the performance side so no announcement on an Air Sapphire–matching Gravity yet as the company continues to grapple with timing.")

The vehicle in the video had "Dream Edition" inside and out. I doubt this was an accident. Dream Edition will be coming

 

[DeaneG]

The vehicle in the video had "Dream Edition" inside and out. I doubt this was an accident. Dream Edition will be coming

I'd be surprised if that happens anytime soon. Lucid needs to avoid positioning their vehicles as pricey extravagances.

 

[hmp10]

The vehicle in the video had "Dream Edition" inside and out. I doubt this was an accident. Dream Edition will be coming

I saw that, but that was the early Lunar Titanium prototype that was on view at the L.A. Auto Show in November 2023 (and that I have twice seen on its rounds to Design Studios). At the L. A. event, Lucid personnel talked explicitly about a Dream Edition. However, all references to a Dream Edition have since ceased, even in interviews where trim levels were discussed. Also, unlike with the Air Dream Edition, there have been no hints of anything beyond the power output and range given for the Grand Touring. And Lucid has now posted on its website six exterior colors and five interior palettes with no mention of anything unique to a Dream Edition.

Also, a moderator on this forum has suggested that the Dream Edition might not materialize, leading me to think that it might have died along the wayside.

You really can't go by photos posted on the Lucid website. Back when the original Air order configurator was created, the photos of the Air Dream Edition showed a deeper rear footwell than the production Dream had. Some early Dream prototypes had been built with the smaller battery pack, and one of those photos made it into the order configurator erroneously.

I hope to be surprised by finding you are right but, unfortunately, my doubts persist.

 

[Batteryman]

The article is not very clearly written, but I don't think this is correct. The $80k price would be for a Pure. Eventually.

Peter Rawlinson said the following on September 12: "We envisage Gravity being from a price point just below $80,000 at some stage. I'm not saying we will launch with that variant, of course." So, again, it seems as though the $80k price would be for a Pure, later in time.

My concern (which I have expressed previously) is that the Pure won't come until 2026 (as an FWD variant using the new Atlas drivetrain). This article leaves open that possibility---again, not very clearly written.

I don't think that would be a good idea....they need to get Gravity Pure out as soon as they can, not drag it out like the Air. With Air they had supply chain issues, first model, learning curve etc. No excuses with the Gravity.

 

[levsha]

they need to get Gravity Pure out as soon as they can, not drag it out like the Air. With Air they had supply chain issues, first model, learning curve etc. No excuses with the Gravity.

Makes sense. Unless they will have enough orders at the beginning even without Pure. Especially that ramping up production to higher scale won't be instant