Gravity Testing!

[Tesla2.0]

It’s called MPV, Moving People Vehicle.

The Mercedes R350 4Matic was a rare luxury MPV you may have forgotten.

Unless you’re a hardcore Mercedes-Benz geek, there’s a slim chance you could recollect the R-Class that sold in India from the Mid 2000s…

medium.com

 

[Steveinarizona]

Seems to have more of a stationwagon, or dare I say minivan stance. And in my use case, that’s a good thing! It actually reminds of the discontinued and unmourned Ford Flex.

The side angle, to me, looks like a Dodge Magnum station wagon.

 

[hmp10]

We have to be close to the reveal if they are allowing such close up shots of the vehicle

Unless this is the result of body disguise cladding I hope they get these panel gaps under control before they let the press get anywhere near the vehicle.

 

[digiboxer]

It’s called MPV, Moving People Vehicle.

The Mercedes R350 4Matic was a rare luxury MPV you may have forgotten.

Unless you’re a hardcore Mercedes-Benz geek, there’s a slim chance you could recollect the R-Class that sold in India from the Mid 2000s…

medium.com

That thing looked like a hearse----let's hope for better from Gravity

 

[hmp10]

The name of the game in EVs is range, especially for touring-oriented vehicles. This is going to dictate a lot of the Gravity's shell and stance, given that Lucid is determined to dominate the range game in each vehicle category.

Hopes that the Gravity would give off the road-hogging-monster / fire-tower-seating vibe of a Chevy Suburban or even a BMW X7 were forlorn from the get-go.

 

[hydbob]

Unless this is the result of body disguise cladding I hope they get these panel gaps under control before they let the press get anywhere near the vehicle.

View attachment 12509

At least it's consistently wide through the whole hood curve

 

[Steveinarizona]

It’s called MPV, Moving People Vehicle.

The Mercedes R350 4Matic was a rare luxury MPV you may have forgotten.

Unless you’re a hardcore Mercedes-Benz geek, there’s a slim chance you could recollect the R-Class that sold in India from the Mid 2000s…

medium.com

Actually, the R class was sold in the US. I had a friend who had one and I have seen one other. The description is exactly correct: a form of station wagon that MB chose not to call it that (nor call it a touring as the English do).

 

[hmp10]

Actually, the R class was sold in the US.

Yes, it was. I test drove a diesel version some years ago in Chicago and came very close to buying one. My only issue was its extremely long rear doors in tight Chicago parking lots. My boss, who had a small fleet of Ferraris but otherwise used only MB's for his family, had an R350 for one of his drivers to haul the kids around.

A few years later I was mightily tempted to buy a virtually new R63 AMG when one came up on eBay. But Mercedes had just announced discontinuation of U.S. sales, so I backed off yet again. I still think about that car occasionally.

The automotive press during its run thought the R class was the closest thing to an executive jet on wheels you could buy. Personally, the thought that the Gravity may be more in the vein of the R class than of a hulking SUV makes me even more intrigued by its arrival.

 

[ProdigalTrader]

I had a R500; it was an almost perfect vehicle, if you overlook the abysmal gas mileage. I called it The Family Truckster after NL’s Vacation.

And I can’t wait for the Gravity to get here. Family Truckster II FTW.

 

[Bus Driver]

So today I’m thinking the Gravity will be sized along the lines of a Mazda CX9 or a 2024 VW Atlas…mid-size, three-row SUV/CUVs.

Just musing out loud here…it’s hard to get a good idea of just how big the Gravity will be, just looking at pictures of the pre-production prototype.

 

[hmp10]

So today I’m thinking the Gravity will be sized along the lines of a Mazda CX9 or a 2024 VW Atlas…mid-size, three-row SUV/CUVs.

Just musing out loud here…it’s hard to get a good idea of just how big the Gravity will be, just looking at pictures of the pre-production prototype.

Lucid is still being tight-lipped about exterior dimensions. I just rewatched Derek Jenkins' interview on MotoMan to see what he said about size. He said unequivocally that the wheelbase of the Gravity will be longer than the Air's, but he qualified his comments on overall dimensions, saying the Gravity "won't be significantly larger than the Air" (his emphasis). He also talked about front row positioning, saying it would be pushed further forward than in the Air up to the limits imposed by wheel wells, and he emphasized that the packing focus would be on maximizing the space between the front and rear axles, probably meaning even shorter overhangs than the Air's.

 

[emoylv]

A shortened, 2-row version is what I'm waiting for. Lighter in weight and hopefully with the next generation of battery technology. Given the motor specs of the Air, the Gravity 0-60 should be well below 5s seconds; I'd say around 3.8.

 

[Rob Stark]

A shortened, 2-row version is what I'm waiting for. Lighter in weight and hopefully with the next generation of battery technology. Given the motor specs of the Air, the Gravity 0-60 should be well below 5s seconds; I'd say around 3.8.

I think you will be waiting for Gadot.

Lucid doesn't have Mercedes or BMW bandwidth.

They don't have dealers with lots capable of carrying hundreds of vehicles.

Lucid needs a Model Y competitor way before they start making structural derivatives of the Gravity.

 

[hmp10]

I think you will be waiting for Gadot.

Lucid doesn't have Mercedes or BMW bandwidth.

They don't have dealers with lots capable of carrying hundreds of vehicles.

Lucid needs a Model Y competitor way before they start making structural derivatives of the Gravity.

I agree that Lucid's lack of bandwidth at this stage necessitates focus on little more than trim variations from core models.

However, I'm not so sure that Lucid can or should try a direct challenge to the Model Y at this point. The Y is now the best-selling car on the planet, leading sales in 53 global markets. It should be remembered that Tesla only became able to take on the staggering capital costs of expanding into the mass market once it established a foothold in narrower, pricier segments.

I know it's disheartening to watch Lucid's slow sales in today's economic climate, but I think their central strategy is still sound: aim initially for the margins that only luxury EV sales can offer given the cost of batteries; take on one segment at a time; get a foothold as the most efficient, most technologically advanced, and longest-range product in that segment; and then expand to another segment.

 

[Demosthenes]

Looks good to me. A bit dull maybe, but workable and could maybe see some easy mods that would upgrade the look.

Awesome super non-aero wheels

 

[xponents]

Looks good to me. A bit dull maybe, but workable and could maybe see some easy mods that would upgrade the look.

Awesome super non-aero wheels

Tragically, the chances of those actually staying on production models are low.

 

[Rob Stark]

I agree that Lucid's lack of bandwidth at this stage necessitates focus on little more than trim variations from core models.

However, I'm not so sure that Lucid can or should try a direct challenge to the Model Y at this point. The Y is now the best-selling car on the planet, leading sales in 53 global markets. It should be remembered that Tesla only became able to take on the staggering capital costs of expanding into the mass market once it established a foothold in narrower, pricier segments.

I know it's disheartening to watch Lucid's slow sales in today's economic climate, but I think their central strategy is still sound: aim initially for the margins that only luxury EV sales can offer given the cost of batteries; take on one segment at a time; get a foothold as the most efficient, most technologically advanced, and longest-range product in that segment; and then expand to another segment.

Once you have the Model S and Model X competitor the next logical step is Model Y not Model 3.

Like the Model S competitor it should not be priced the same. It would be a more luxurious product with better tech so it should
be priced higher.

Model Y is currently in the $48k-$75k price range.

Lucid's compact CUV should have a starting price of $60k-65k and maybe $150k for Sapphire Edition. You don't need Tesla scale to play in this end of the pool.

Peter wanted to set the tone and image of the company with a sports sedan instead of a 7 passenger CUV. Knowing full well demand for the CUV would be 2x-3x. Time to focus a little less on image and more on moving the metal.

 

[Volund]

Once you have the Model S and Model X competitor the next logical step is Model Y not Model 3.

Like the Model S competitor it should not be priced the same. It would be a more luxurious product with better tech so it should
be priced higher.

Model Y is currently in the $48k-$75k price range.

Lucid's compact CUV should have a starting price of $60k-65k and maybe $150k for Sapphire Edition. You don't need Tesla scale to play in this end of the pool.

Peter wanted to set the tone and image of the company with a sports sedan instead of a 7 passenger CUV. Knowing full well demand for the CUV would be 2x-3x. Time to focus a little less on image and more on moving the metal.

65k Luxury CUV from Lucid? No way we're seeing that coming anytime soon.

My bet is still on 100k starting price for Gravity for the base model.

They're not in a position right now to compete in that price range given all of the Luxuries and features of the Lucid.

But eventually, it could be a possibility, maybe a decade later.

 

[hmp10]

Peter wanted to set the tone and image of the company with a sports sedan instead of a 7 passenger CUV. Knowing full well demand for the CUV would be 2x-3x. Time to focus a little less on image and more on moving the metal.

Rawlinson explained his reasoning in several early interviews, noting that trying to take on a mass-market competitor is extremely capital intensive and something only well-established automakers can expect to do.

Lucid's strategy was first to build a brand identity around industry-leading range -- an area in which Tesla was dominant -- and that was most easily accomplished with a sedan's aerodynamics and the Air's ability to carry a larger battery pack than a Y-sized chassis.

You also have to remember that at the time Lucid was deciding how to enter the market, the Model Y and other electric CUVs had not yet shown that EV adopters would embrace that category. Even Tesla did not get to the CUV format until its fourth product.

Also, Lucid is already taking a lot of flak for its pricing of a luxury sports sedan, a segment that has traditionally supported higher pricing than more volume products. I seriously doubt if its first move had been to introduce a $60-150K CUV -- a segment aimed more at young families and buyers on tighter budgets -- it would have gotten off the ground.

 

[Volund]

Rawlinson explained his reasoning in several early interviews, noting that trying to take on a mass-market competitor is extremely capital intensive and something only well-established automakers can expect to do.

Lucid's strategy was first to build a brand identity around industry-leading range -- an area in which Tesla was dominant -- and that was most easily accomplished with a sedan's aerodynamics and the Air's ability to carry a larger battery pack than a Y-sized chassis.

You also have to remember that at the time Lucid was deciding how to enter the market, the Model Y and other electric CUVs had not yet shown that EV adopters would embrace that category. Even Tesla did not get to the CUV format until its fourth product.

Also, Lucid is already taking a lot of flak for its pricing of a luxury sports sedan, a segment that has traditionally supported higher pricing than more volume products. I seriously doubt if its first move had been to introduce a $60-150K CUV -- a segment aimed more at young families and buyers on tighter budgets -- it would have gotten off the ground.

Someone told me that Air's are having trouble getting off the lot right now, not sure where reservations are at for each category. But Saudi plant and their 100k order should get them a bit off the ground with profit.