Gravity: to Reserve or Not to Reserve?

[hmp10]

I've been looking forward to the Gravity reveal but with only a small fraction of the obsession that consumed me while awaiting the Air reveal several years ago. After living almost two years with an Air Dream Performance and weathering the UX 1.0 days and some early production woes, I remain convinced it's the best car overall I've ever owned or driven. And should Lucid not ultimately make it as a company -- a fear that I try to keep suppressed -- I worry that it might be the best car I ever will own, as I see nothing on the horizon that approaches it in terms of space packaging, the balance of comfort and handling, style, and panache.

For the past year I've been assuming I will reserve a Gravity at earliest opportunity to replace our Honda Odyssey minivan, a very practical, reliable, and economic-to-operate vehicle of the first order. But I'm beginning to drag my feet.

What I know (or think I know) about the Gravity:

- Being a Lucid, it will be the best combination of power, room, comfort, handling, and luxury in the segment, whether it ends up being dubbed an SUV or a minivan or a new classification altogether.

- It will have the best range in that segment for an EV.

- It will be expensive.

What I suspect (and worry) about the Gravity:

- It might have some of the same early-production issues as the Air, meaning a fair bit of service time and consequent worry about reliability for road tripping.

- There will be some promises regarding user software that will not be met, at least initially.

- Lucid service will be superb initially but could follow the eroding trajectory that Tesla service did several years after launch.

- Its range, while impressive, could still be an issue on a road trip with a group of passengers. (It's one thing for me and my partner to get tied up at a charging station, but it's another to subject a group of friends who don't have the same commitment to the vehicle to such issues.)

So . . . will I reserve at launch?

Part of me says there's no hurry. The Honda is still in great shape and enjoyable to drive, and the Gravity will just get better as it matures. But the part of me that just turned 72 is saying, "how many more years can you spend waiting for all the stars to align on a vehicle you're considering? It might be now or never, bucko."

 

[Bobby]

I’m under the impression they won’t be taking reservations at launch.

 

[hmp10]

I’m under the impression they won’t be taking reservations at launch.

Well, that would certainly give me more time to noodle this. But any idea why they would not start taking reservations on the heels of the reveal?

 

[hydbob]

I've been looking forward to the Gravity reveal but with only a small fraction of the obsession that consumed me while awaiting the Air reveal several years ago. After living almost two years with an Air Dream Performance and weathering the UX 1.0 days and some early production woes, I remain convinced it's the best car overall I've ever owned or driven. And should Lucid not ultimately make it as a company -- a fear that I try to keep suppressed -- I worry that it might be the best car I ever will own, as I see nothing on the horizon that approaches it in terms of space packaging, the balance of comfort and handling, style, and panache.

For the past year I've been assuming I will reserve a Gravity at earliest opportunity to replace our Honda Odyssey minivan, a very practical, reliable, and economic-to-operate vehicle of the first order. But I'm beginning to drag my feet.

What I know (or think I know) about the Gravity:

- Being a Lucid, it will be the best combination of power, room, comfort, handling, and luxury in the segment, whether it ends up being dubbed an SUV or a minivan or a new classification altogether.

- It will have the best range in that segment for an EV.

- It will be expensive.

What I suspect (and worry) about the Gravity:

- It might have some of the same early-production issues as the Air, meaning a fair bit of service time and consequent worry about reliability for road tripping.

- There will be some promises regarding user software that will not be met, at least initially.

- Lucid service will be superb initially but could follow the eroding trajectory that Tesla service did several years after launch.

- Its range, while impressive, could still be an issue on a road trip with a group of passengers. (It's one thing for me and my partner to get tied up at a charging station, but it's another to subject a group of friends who don't have the same commitment to the vehicle to such issues.)

So . . . will I reserve at launch?

Part of me says there's no hurry. The Honda is still in great shape and enjoyable to drive, and the Gravity will just get better as it matures. But the part of me that just turned 72 is saying, "how many more years can you spend waiting for all the stars to align on a vehicle you're considering? It might be now or never, bucko."

Yes, you will, and you know you it too =) Whether or not you purchase is different, but a reservation, I have no doubt you would throw one down as soon as it becomes available.

 

[Adnillien]

I’m under the impression they won’t be taking reservations at launch.

I am thinking sometime in late Q1 is likely. I am going to reserve as soon as I can.

 

[BobFM]

Will definitely be putting in a reservation, but will be critical for me to see up close before actually purchasing. Love my GT and the thought of having more space in an SUV would be awesome with all the same drive dynamics, etc.

 

[Bobby]

Will definitely be putting in a reservation, but will be critical for me to see up close before actually purchasing. Love my GT and the thought of having more space in an SUV would be awesome with all the same drive dynamics, etc.

First opportunity will be at the LA Auto Show upcoming.

 

[DeaneG]

...It might have some of the same early-production issues as the Air, meaning a fair bit of service time and consequent worry about reliability for road tripping...

Gravity's propulsion hardware should be identical to that of the Air in 2024/25 - whatever the latest revision would hold - so I'd be reasonably confident of it. I understand why we'd have different perspectives though.

 

[joec]

I’m wondering how long it will be before we start seeing Gravity at the studios. I’m hoping by early next year they have one sitting in the studios for people to see and sit in. Even if they are pre-production like they did with Air.

I also hope they show it off at other auto shows beyond LA. They need to make it as accessible as possible to people sooner rather than later. I think it’ll be far more impressive in person than in pictures.

 

[xponents]

I’m wondering how long it will be before we start seeing Gravity at the studios. I’m hoping by early next year they have one sitting in the studios for people to see and sit in. Even if they are pre-production like they did with Air.

I also hope they show it off at other auto shows beyond LA. They need to make it as accessible as possible to people sooner rather than later. I think it’ll be far more impressive in person than in pictures.

I hope that they show anything they have, even early alpha prototypes(which we know they have a sizeable amount of). But what other major auto shows are there in early 2024? Maybe CES as a loose definition?

 

[Neurio]

I've been looking forward to the Gravity reveal but with only a small fraction of the obsession that consumed me while awaiting the Air reveal several years ago. After living almost two years with an Air Dream Performance and weathering the UX 1.0 days and some early production woes, I remain convinced it's the best car overall I've ever owned or driven. And should Lucid not ultimately make it as a company -- a fear that I try to keep suppressed -- I worry that it might be the best car I ever will own, as I see nothing on the horizon that approaches it in terms of space packaging, the balance of comfort and handling, style, and panache.

For the past year I've been assuming I will reserve a Gravity at earliest opportunity to replace our Honda Odyssey minivan, a very practical, reliable, and economic-to-operate vehicle of the first order. But I'm beginning to drag my feet.

What I know (or think I know) about the Gravity:

- Being a Lucid, it will be the best combination of power, room, comfort, handling, and luxury in the segment, whether it ends up being dubbed an SUV or a minivan or a new classification altogether.

- It will have the best range in that segment for an EV.

- It will be expensive.

What I suspect (and worry) about the Gravity:

- It might have some of the same early-production issues as the Air, meaning a fair bit of service time and consequent worry about reliability for road tripping.

- There will be some promises regarding user software that will not be met, at least initially.

- Lucid service will be superb initially but could follow the eroding trajectory that Tesla service did several years after launch.

- Its range, while impressive, could still be an issue on a road trip with a group of passengers. (It's one thing for me and my partner to get tied up at a charging station, but it's another to subject a group of friends who don't have the same commitment to the vehicle to such issues.)

So . . . will I reserve at launch?

Part of me says there's no hurry. The Honda is still in great shape and enjoyable to drive, and the Gravity will just get better as it matures. But the part of me that just turned 72 is saying, "how many more years can you spend waiting for all the stars to align on a vehicle you're considering? It might be now or never, bucko."

Presuming the deposits will be fully refundable again, there's absolutely no harm in reserving on day 1, whenever that day is. You can always cancel if you don't want it.

 

[BobFM]

First opportunity will be at the LA Auto Show upcoming.

Wish I could make it, but will be living vicariously through everybody that is going! Will be keeping an eye on it for sure...

 

[xponents]

It might have some of the same early-production issues as the Air, meaning a fair bit of service time and consequent worry about reliability for road tripping.

We have the same underlying causes, but the results are the same. I believe the gravity will share much of its propulsion with the Air, and I fully expect many of its kinks to be ironed out. Therefore, I expect it to have less issues instead of more.

There will be some promises regarding user software that will not be met, at least initially.

Agreed, but not to the extent of UX1.0.

Lucid service will be superb initially but could follow the eroding trajectory that Tesla service did several years after launch.

This is one of my main concerns with Lucid. However, almost every car company will be like this in terms of scale... I just hope it doesnt descend into absolute trash like Tesla did(uber credits, etc)

Its range, while impressive, could still be an issue on a road trip with a group of passengers. (It's one thing for me and my partner to get tied up at a charging station, but it's another to subject a group of friends who don't have the same commitment to the vehicle to such issues.)

Your DE-P on 21 inch wheels has 451 miles of range. If we use the model x vs s comparison, 406/348 multiplied by 520(de-r) is about 445 miles of range. I recognize that gravity may not have all the sloping rooflines of the X and such, but I do think it will be reasonably aerodynamic and have more efficient motors. Therefore, if your friends are okay with the Air, I believe they will be fine with the Gravity. In addition, you could keep the odyssey as a backup.

But the part of me that just turned 72 is saying, "how many more years can you spend waiting for all the stars to align on a vehicle you're considering? It might be now or never, bucko."

Yup, we all have a limited life, enjoy it to the fullest and take risks!

 

[hmp10]

Yup, we all have a limited life, enjoy it to the fullest and take risks!

So far, so good . . . uh, mostly.

 

[joec]

- There will be some promises regarding user software that will not be met, at least initially.

One thing that keeps me positive on the software side for Gravity is that Mike Bell was present for the entire Gravity development cycle. In other words, the software team that will actually build Gravity's software stack had direct input in the design of the car's computer systems. They also have a lot of institutional knowledge gained from two years of building Air's stack.

This was not true for Air, and I believe this is what led to the majority of issues we are still seeing in Air.

 

[xponents]

One thing that keeps me positive on the software side for Gravity is that Mike Bell was present for the entire Gravity development cycle. In other words, the software team that will actually build Gravity's software stack had direct input in the design of the car's computer systems. They also have a lot of institutional knowledge gained from two years of building Air's stack.

This was not true for Air, and I believe this is what led to the majority of issues we are still seeing in Air.

What happened for the air?

With apple, the approach is usually that everything HAS to work perfectly or almost perfectly the first time. I have full hope this philosophy is carried into UX 3.0 and by extension the gravity.

 

[joec]

What happened for the air?

With apple, the approach is usually that everything HAS to work perfectly or almost perfectly the first time. I have full hope this philosophy is carried into UX 3.0 and by extension the gravity.

Mike Bell was brought in after the hardware for Air was basically locked. The current software team at Lucid did not build 1.x.

Suffice it to say a some of the folks who did build 1.x are not around anymore for a reason.

I wouldn't say Apple always gets things right the first time, by the way. But I know what you are trying to say.

I expect Gravity will ship with bugs, just like any other software system.

It's not the bugs that kill you. It's the bugs you don't know about. If you wait to ship until every bug is squashed, you never ship. So, because life is life, you fix the bugs you have to fix and ship the ones you can live with, with an eye towards fixing those as soon as possible. Same goes for features.

I think out of the gate, Gravity's software will be in much better shape than Air's was. If not, something will have gone very, very wrong.

 

[Bobby]

I think out of the gate, Gravity's software will be in much better shape than Air's was. If not, something will have gone very, very wrong.

I think it's going to be better than what we currently have in the Air.

 

[alamai]

I've been looking forward to the Gravity reveal but with only a small fraction of the obsession that consumed me while awaiting the Air reveal several years ago. After living almost two years with an Air Dream Performance and weathering the UX 1.0 days and some early production woes, I remain convinced it's the best car overall I've ever owned or driven. And should Lucid not ultimately make it as a company -- a fear that I try to keep suppressed -- I worry that it might be the best car I ever will own, as I see nothing on the horizon that approaches it in terms of space packaging, the balance of comfort and handling, style, and panache.

For the past year I've been assuming I will reserve a Gravity at earliest opportunity to replace our Honda Odyssey minivan, a very practical, reliable, and economic-to-operate vehicle of the first order. But I'm beginning to drag my feet.

What I know (or think I know) about the Gravity:

- Being a Lucid, it will be the best combination of power, room, comfort, handling, and luxury in the segment, whether it ends up being dubbed an SUV or a minivan or a new classification altogether.

- It will have the best range in that segment for an EV.

- It will be expensive.

What I suspect (and worry) about the Gravity:

- It might have some of the same early-production issues as the Air, meaning a fair bit of service time and consequent worry about reliability for road tripping.

- There will be some promises regarding user software that will not be met, at least initially.

- Lucid service will be superb initially but could follow the eroding trajectory that Tesla service did several years after launch.

- Its range, while impressive, could still be an issue on a road trip with a group of passengers. (It's one thing for me and my partner to get tied up at a charging station, but it's another to subject a group of friends who don't have the same commitment to the vehicle to such issues.)

So . . . will I reserve at launch?

Part of me says there's no hurry. The Honda is still in great shape and enjoyable to drive, and the Gravity will just get better as it matures. But the part of me that just turned 72 is saying, "how many more years can you spend waiting for all the stars to align on a vehicle you're considering? It might be now or never, bucko."

After the reveal on November 16th, you'll definitely know if you are going to make the decision to reserve, or not.

 

[hmp10]

After the reveal on November 16th, you'll definitely know if you are going to make the decision to reserve, or not.

After almost two years with an Air, Lucid would really have to turn its back with the Gravity on the engineering and design thought processes that produced the Air for me to decide against getting one. Yeah, I might prefer sliding rear doors over swing doors, and I might prefer power-operated doors over the Air's soft-close doors, etc. But the direction in which each of such relatively minor decisions might break would not impact my decision to buy the Gravity if it resets the bar in its category the way the Air did for the electric sedan . . . and I'm pretty sure it will.

Part of the reason I'm hesitant about whether to reserve at the earliest opportunity has to do with my own impulses. If I reserve early and Lucid were to notify me that my vehicle was up for order confirmation, I might have a very hard time resisting even if I had since decided to wait for the car to get past the early production phase. (I know this is kind of like the guy who scrawls in lipstick across the bathroom mirror "stop me before I kill again." But patience has come to me fairly late in life and still has only a tenuous foothold.)

Another part of the reason is that I suspect -- worry, actually -- that the Gravity order books might not exceed production capacity even early on and that vehicles might be available with short lead times from the outset. (As a buyer, that's great. As a stockholder, I'd like to see the order books break the shelf.)

The thing that would cinch the deal for an early reservation would be if Lucid were to offer something like the Dream Edition with a bit more power and features (higher torque rear motor, forged wheels, Santa Monica interior, etc.) than the full-run models.