How is the Press Responding to the opening of Gravity Orders?

[hmp10]

By the way, I don't even know what "launch" means with the Gravity.

Was it the public reveal of the production-intent car at the L. A. Auto Show.

Was it the opening of orders?

Will it be the start of production?

The arrival of cars in the showrooms?

The start of deliveries?

 

[HC_79]

Just over a week after Gravity orders opened, I have to say things have been quite a bit different on the press front than I would have guessed a few weeks ago. I thought the opening of orders would herald a series of test drive reviews that had earlier been under embargo, and that Lucid and its fans would be basking in the glow of a stream of reviews lauding the Gravity's remarkable performance, room, and features.

Instead what we got was a brief rush of short articles and videos complaining more about the long and costly list of options than talking about the vehicle itself, because there was really nothing new to report other than the options on the order configurator. Since then, press coverage of the Gravity has ebbed to little more than a trickle consisting mostly of interviews with and statements from Peter Rawlinson about the marvels of the Gravity.

For a brand really looking to the Gravity to introduce Lucid to broader consumer awareness, it is about the most anti-climactic launch event I can remember outside the rather small coterie of current Lucid owners. When deliveries finally start and the automotive press starts reporting test drives, I just hope enough people outside this forum are still looking.

I don't know what to make of the departure of Lucid's marketing head on the heels of this, other than his return to his long tenure at Maserati was something one doesn't often see in such events.

I would give them another one or two weeks to see if we see any progression. In a recent interview, Peter mentioned that production was imminent, so hopefully, people will be contacted within the next one to two weeks to begin confirming orders.

Perhaps they will announce something or tie in with the LA Auto Show, considering the significant press coverage they will likely receive. They might have a car or two to showcase and initiate reviews.

Admittedly, I am now on the fence about their handling of the situation. A typical marketing campaign for a new product would involve a steady stream of information pre and post launch. Lucid did great with the “Road to Gravity” series but post order date it’s kind of been crickets. I was expecting a continued series of email updates or teasers to keep people engaged, such as “More to be revealed at the LA Auto Show.” However, apart from the “thanks for going on the journey” email, there has been a complete lack of communication. I understand their desire for secrecy and control over the narrative, but the longer they remain silent, the greater the risk of someone else potentially taking over the narrative. For example, the recent article with Motortrend rehashing old information because they’re obviously getting no new information being fed to them by Lucid.

Like is said, I’m on the fence. Do I think the launch campaign and ordering process was a disaster? No, but I also think it has some room for improvement. Guess we all just need to have a little patience and see how it all plays out.

 

[DrLucid]

Just over a week after Gravity orders opened, I have to say things have been quite a bit different on the press front than I would have guessed a few weeks ago. I thought the opening of orders would herald a series of test drive reviews that had earlier been under embargo, and that Lucid and its fans would be basking in the glow of a stream of reviews lauding the Gravity's remarkable performance, room, and features.

Instead what we got was a brief rush of short articles and videos complaining more about the long and costly list of options than talking about the vehicle itself, because there was really nothing new to report other than the options on the order configurator. Since then, press coverage of the Gravity has ebbed to little more than a trickle consisting mostly of interviews with and statements from Peter Rawlinson about the marvels of the Gravity.

For a brand really looking to the Gravity to introduce Lucid to broader consumer awareness, it is about the most anti-climactic launch event I can remember outside the rather small coterie of current Lucid owners. When deliveries finally start and the automotive press starts reporting test drives, I just hope enough people outside this forum are still looking.

I don't know what to make of the departure of Lucid's marketing head on the heels of this, other than his return to his long tenure at Maserati was something one doesn't often see in such events.

Totally agree. Sure the car is not ready test drive because it’s under production which is understandable, the company should try and do things to actively promote it through media. Start with a small thing like updating the order page with 360 views and some interviews. It’s been a full 9 days with nothing happening at all. Strategies to make people talk more about the car. Peter Rawlinson coming and saying gravity is the best SUV is not enough.
In the mean time some bad articles coming out from people calling themselves journalists publishing articles putting down bad things about gravity are circulating more.

 

[tonybot]

Could the opening of the order timed that way due to the earnings call? I remember major ADAS features being released last time around the technology day timeframe and the later pause due to issues encountered. Could it have been moved forward a bit hoping to excite the wall street?

 

[hmp10]

Could the opening of the order timed that way due to the earnings call? I remember major ADAS features being released last time around the technology day timeframe and the later pause due to issues encountered. Could it have been moved forward a bit hoping to excite the wall street?

Well, if so, it didn't work.

I really hope Lucid sticks to the long game of technology development regarding the stock price instead of trying to manipulate things such as timing this or that announcement. Those things only have transient effects, it any at all.

If Lucid really did time the opening of orders to an earnings call -- and I don't know that they did -- the short-term bump they hoped to get might have come at the cost of irritating loyal customers who are perplexed at orders opening with no information such as the effect on range of wheel choices, no cars on view in showrooms, leaving so many questions open about the Touring trim, etc.

I really have no way to know what was going on behind the scenes. But what I do know is that the excitement and positive attention around the opening of Gravity orders has very quickly dissolved into a kind of sullen silence in the media and elsewhere as speculation about tax credits, energy policy, environmental policy, and Elon Musk's move to center stage in regulatory and even monetary policy in Washington draw more attention. (A story broke today that a think tank that Musk has been funding has used Freedom of Information requests to obtain all emails and correspondence at the Department of Transportation that mention Musk or climate change as part of preparations for identifying which federal employees to target for removal.)

The questioning Rawlinson got and his answers in his recent interview on the Bloomberg podcast were an oblique acknowledgement of just how many new issues Lucid might soon have to worry about.

 

[hmp10]

Today is the two-week anniversary of Gravity orders opening. So, what is the current state of play?

Press: Crickets mostly. After a flurry of coverage that quickly became dominated by complaints that the advertised pricing was misleading due to so many things being put on the options list instead of being standard, the coverage has kind of petered out. After all, with no press groups apparently having driven either a final production or a release candidate version of the Gravity, there's really nothing new to report or talk about.

Stock Price: Down 7% from an already record low.

Vehicle Information: People placing or considering placing orders still don't know what the differences between the Grand Touring and the Touring will be. They don't know what the EPA range impact will be in deciding on trim level, wheel/tire packages, suspension options. No idea of delivery windows or financing/leasing options.

Orders: No numbers reported. We only have one highly-anecdotal data point: the number of new orders reported by members on this forum has slowed to a trickle, with the current number at 53 (about 0.9% of forum members).

This is so, so not where I thought things would be once Gravity orders opened up. All I'm hoping now is that, as information blanks get filled in and the press reviews finally start rolling in, these two weeks will become just a dreary memory cast into the shadows by the glowing reviews of the vehicle itself that I still fully expect . . . accompanied by reports of orders taking off.

 

[momo3605]

Today is the two-week anniversary of Gravity orders opening. So, what is the current state of play?

Press: Crickets mostly. After a flurry of coverage that quickly became dominated by complaints that the advertised pricing was misleading due to so many things being put on the options list instead of being standard, the coverage has kind of petered out. After all, with no press groups apparently having driven either a final production or a release candidate version of the Gravity, there's really nothing new to report or talk about.

Stock Price: Down 7% from an already record low.

Vehicle Information: People placing or considering placing orders still don't know what the differences between the Grand Touring and the Touring will be. They don't know what the EPA range impact will be in deciding on trim level, wheel/tire packages, suspension options. No idea of delivery windows or financing/leasing options.

Orders: No numbers reported. We only have one highly-anecdotal data point: the number of new orders reported by members on this forum has slowed to a trickle, with the current number at 53 (about 0.9% of forum members).

This is so, so not where I thought things would be once Gravity orders opened up. All I'm hoping now is that, as information blanks get filled in and the press reviews finally start rolling in, these two weeks will become just a dreary memory cast into the shadows by the glowing reviews of the vehicle itself that I still fully expect . . . accompanied by reports of orders taking off.

Why are you worried? It seems like you’re going to order one at the end of the day anyways. So just order and enjoy it whenever it arrives! Who cares what other people think.

 

[borski]

Why are you worried? It seems like you’re going to order one at the end of the day anyways. So just order and enjoy it whenever it arrives! Who cares what other people think.

Amen.

 

[WeighingGravity]

It does matter to owners that Lucid survive and thrive as a company, so that they can open more service centers, honor warranty claims, supply parts, provide software updates etc. I personally don't think it's inappropriate to look at the set of facts and have some worries.

 

[hmp10]

Why are you worried? It seems like you’re going to order one at the end of the day anyways. So just order and enjoy it whenever it arrives! Who cares what other people think.

Uh, because I want this company to succeed, and how the market receives the Gravity will have something to do with that.

And, frankly, there are some things to worry about with what's happening in Washington with energy policy, environmental policy, and Musk's current political influence. Lucid really needs to set every foot right with the Gravity. I'm not worried about the product itself, but I am worried about its roll-out.

So, if it helps, you and Borski can shoot me now and put me out of my misery.

 

[borski]

Uh, because I want this company to succeed, and how the market receives the Gravity will have something to do with that.

And, frankly, there are some things to worry about with what's happening in Washington with energy policy, environmental policy, and Musk's current political influence. Lucid really needs to set every foot right with the Gravity. I'm not worried about the product itself, but I am worried about its roll-out.

So, if it helps, you and Borski can shoot me now and put me out of my misery.

Haha you know I have nothing but the utmost respect for you.

I’m just having a little fun. I have no idea what the master plan is either. I hope and assume they have one.

 

[Buffalo Bob]

We can't fault Lucid for the absolutely horrible timing that has plagued them time and again, but not offering both Gravity trims at launch... Yikes!

 

[DeaneG]

Hope and prior promises embolden one to go ahead and launch a new product that isn't quite finished. The reality of engineering and logistics delays details and delivery.

 

[hmp10]

We can't fault Lucid for the absolutely horrible timing that has plagued them time and again, but not offering both Gravity trims at launch... Yikes!

I could understand if Lucid gave the Grand Touring priority for first production for any of several reasons, among them production logistics or cash flow.

But what mystifies me is announcing the opening of orders for two trim levels and then only making it possible to order one, while not even giving any information about the differences between the two so that customers dealing with things such as lease expirations, financial considerations, or cross shopping the competition can decide whether to wait for the other trim level. And saying that production of the Touring could be as far as a year out without saying anything about when information about its content would become available just makes it worse for potential customers who need to know now whether to wait for the Touring or move on to another product.

 

[Buffalo Bob]

IMO, simply saying 'one year out' for the lower trim suggested supreme overconfidence on their part. As a shareholder, I sincerely hope I'm wrong, but I get the feeling that Air sales have tapered off considerably this quarter, in anticipation of Gravity being available in some reasonable volume. (Notice the level of referral code requests on the forum between last quarter and this quarter?) Unless they have a really strong production ramp, which I doubt since both trims were not offered, I would have preferred that they did not take orders at all. Build them, send them out to the sales locations, and offer them WITHOUT in-inventory incentives. Just my opinion. I may be wrong, but this ain't my first rodeo either.

 

[DeaneG]

Lucid who?

https://www.axios.com/2024/11/21/electric-vehicles-trump-tax-credit

 

[msaunders9430]

Lucid who?

https://www.axios.com/2024/11/21/electric-vehicles-trump-tax-credit

No Gravity GT there to talk about.
Not yet I hope.
Shows not over.

 

[DrLucid]

I think lucid gravity is on LA AUTOSHOW only on t the weekend. This Friday to Sunday and the next. So we might see some you tube videos about it starting today

 

[hmp10]

I think lucid gravity is on LA AUTOSHOW only on t the weekend. This Friday to Sunday and the next. So we might see some you tube videos about it starting today

It appears that Lucid is not exhibiting at the show but will be offering test drives. I suspect that means test drives of the Air.

Automotive Brands - LA Auto Show

LA Auto Show features a lineup of 30+ automakers having a long history with the show, plus new brands highlighting the future of automotive and mobility.

laautoshow.com

 

[momo3605]

Uh, because I want this company to succeed, and how the market receives the Gravity will have something to do with that.

And, frankly, there are some things to worry about with what's happening in Washington with energy policy, environmental policy, and Musk's current political influence. Lucid really needs to set every foot right with the Gravity. I'm not worried about the product itself, but I am worried about its roll-out.

So, if it helps, you and Borski can shoot me now and put me out of my misery.

I think it'll be fine. It's hard to create hype a $95-$120k 7 seater SUV/Minivan thing. This class is still pretty niche. Look at all the competitors, the iQ, the Vistiq, the ioniq 9, etc... there's about the same amount of news cycles there as well.

My guess is Lucid has decided the extra cash burn of over-marketing through TV, internet ads, will not translate into enough more sales to be worth it. YT reviews of course will come when the car is production-ready