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

[joec]

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

Fair point. I suspect Lucid's best chance at a bit of buzz on this vehicle is if the right YouTuber takes it on a track and shows off how crazy well it handles. Not because the general market for this sort of vehicle cares about that sort of thing, but because it will further push the brand as "killing it in the performance arena". Establish Lucid as the "driver's EV."

Plus, it won't hurt for some who deep in their hearts wish they could buy a Lamborghini, but kids and aging parents dictate they drive a 7-seater.

 

[Bobby]

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.

They are literally doing all of those.

 

[borski]

They are literally doing all of those.

Yeah, if those are the metrics they're doing great.

 

[momo3605]

Plus, it won't hurt for some who deep in their hearts wish they could buy a Lamborghini, but kids and aging parents dictate they drive a 7-seater.

 

[WeighingGravity]

I obviously mean CONTINUE to do those things into the future. (and i could use a service center that is less than 1-2 hours away from me traffic dependent, and I do live in a large metro area) You guys are awfully confident, and I sincerely hope you're right, but the company is burning lots of cash and will continue to do so while their production numbers are as low as they are. With a stock price under $2 and the burn where it is, there are reasons for consumers to pause.

 

[momo3605]

I obviously mean CONTINUE to do those things into the future. (and i could use a service center that is less than 1-2 hours away from me traffic dependent, and I do live in a large metro area) You guys are awfully confident, and I sincerely hope you're right, but the company is burning lots of cash and will continue to do so while their production numbers are as low as they are. With a stock price under $2 and the burn where it is, there are reasons for consumers to pause.

They will continue to burn cash even after the Gravity is delivered and even if it has the best reviews ever. It's still a low volume vehicle. Wait for the mid-size Lucid to turn around cash burn.

 

[joec]

I obviously mean CONTINUE to do those things into the future. (and i could use a service center that is less than 1-2 hours away from me traffic dependent, and I do live in a large metro area) You guys are awfully confident, and I sincerely hope you're right, but the company is burning lots of cash and will continue to do so while their production numbers are as low as they are. With a stock price under $2 and the burn where it is, there are reasons for consumers to pause.

Don't get the impression we aren't all concerned. It's a gamble, for sure. I think what people are saying is that if you are pinning your hopes on Gravity to turn the company and stock price completely around, you are likely setting yourself up for disappointment.

Doubling, tripling, maybe even quadrupling the installed base? Possible. But that's still peanuts, in the scheme of things. Lucid is a long way from profitability and mass-market sales, regardless of how well Gravity does. It's just not a type of vehicle most people buy.

Whether it's enough to get them to mid-size is the open question. That's a toss up. Especially with uncertainty in the future about the EV market in general. But that's out of Lucid's hands.

 

[illopp00]

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.

Yes that new Hyundai Ioniq 9 is taking all the media attention and its a 2026 with 2 years out....

 

[illopp00]

I obviously mean CONTINUE to do those things into the future. (and i could use a service center that is less than 1-2 hours away from me traffic dependent, and I do live in a large metro area) You guys are awfully confident, and I sincerely hope you're right, but the company is burning lots of cash and will continue to do so while their production numbers are as low as they are. With a stock price under $2 and the burn where it is, there are reasons for consumers to pause.

Peter said they did an early raise to guarantee runway into 2026 and mid-size unveiling. Stock prices don't actually represent companies' fundamentals, I know that is a theory, but reality is different. TSLA is up like 60% from Trump's election and they have like single digit growth.

 

[borski]

They will continue to burn cash even after the Gravity is delivered and even if it has the best reviews ever. It's still a low volume vehicle. Wait for the mid-size Lucid to turn around cash burn.

Precisely.

 

[Pragmatic]

Yes that new Hyundai Ioniq 9 is taking all the media attention and its a 2026 with 2 years out....

Most likely less than 5 months out. Web site says scheduled for Spring 2025. Not too far behind Gravity.

 

[illopp00]

Most likely less than 5 months out. Web site says scheduled for Spring 2025. Not too far behind Gravity.

True, but plenty of similar vaugaries...

"US-bound examples of the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 will begin production at the automaker's Georgia plant in the first half of 2025. Either way, Hyundai is holding final pricing and detailed specs until a time closer to the on sale date. WIth similar tech, but a larger battery, I believe that the Ioniq 9 will start just North of the Kia EV9 Long Range's approximately $60,000 price tag. "

 

[hmp10]

Don't get the impression we aren't all concerned. It's a gamble, for sure. I think what people are saying is that if you are pinning your hopes on Gravity to turn the company and stock price completely around, you are likely setting yourself up for disappointment.

Doubling, tripling, maybe even quadrupling the installed base? Possible. But that's still peanuts, in the scheme of things. Lucid is a long way from profitability and mass-market sales, regardless of how well Gravity does. It's just not a type of vehicle most people buy.

Whether it's enough to get them to mid-size is the open question. That's a toss up. Especially with uncertainty in the future about the EV market in general. But that's out of Lucid's hands.

I don't expect the Gravity to get Lucid to really big sales numbers -- or the revenue that comes with that. I'm more interested in seeing what kind of share it can attain in whatever market it's in. Although it's gone barely unnoticed in the press, the Air has done a good job of that in the luxury EV sedan space by outselling the Model S, EQS, and Taycan.

Once the Touring (and the Pure, if there is to be one) hits the market, the Gravity will be at price points that span across the Tesla Model X, the Rivian R1S, the Cadillac Escalade EV, maybe the Cadillac Vistiq, the upper ends of the Ioniq 9 and EV9, the Volvo EX90, the BMW ix7, the Mercedes EQS SUV, and offerings from Audi and maybe even Porsche. All of these EV SUVs are still basically niche products in the ocean of ICE SUVs. But if the Gravity can't become a significant seller within that rapidly expanding SUV EV niche, that could spell trouble for the brand.

I'm hopeful because I think Lucid technology trounces them all. But I'm also worried about the clumsiness that I still think accompanied the opening of Gravity orders: announcing two trims for launch but only opening orders for one, no clarity about the difference between the trims, a half-baked order configurator, EPA figures missing for various options, etc.

The number of posts on this forum alone from Lucid fans who were looking forward to putting in their Touring orders but are now aggravated that nothing is known about the Touring trim or whether it will even be available within the next year is a worrisome sign.

 

[Buffalo Bob]

Whatever happens with Gravity's initial volume... As long as the quality is there, and reasonable value, I'm really not worried about long-term viability. The Saudi PIF is in it for the long haul. They are betting on their transition from oil dependence at least in part on Lucid, and they are not about to flinch when the company has such a great reputation for innovation, and its first mass market product is on the horizon. I would just like to see Gravity perform as best as it can given all of the variables involved.

 

[Batteryman]

I don't expect the Gravity to get Lucid to really big sales numbers -- or the revenue that comes with that. I'm more interested in seeing what kind of share it can attain in whatever market it's in. Although it's gone barely unnoticed in the press, the Air has done a good job of that in the luxury EV sedan space by outselling the Model S, EQS, and Taycan.

Once the Touring (and the Pure, if there is to be one) hits the market, the Gravity will be at price points that span across the Tesla Model X, the Rivian R1S, the Cadillac Escalade EV, maybe the Cadillac Vistiq, the upper ends of the Ioniq 9 and EV9, the Volvo EX90, the BMW ix7, the Mercedes EQS SUV, and offerings from Audi and maybe even Porsche. All of these EV SUVs are still basically niche products in the ocean of ICE SUVs. But if the Gravity can't become a significant seller within that rapidly expanding SUV EV niche, that could spell trouble for the brand.

I'm hopeful because I think Lucid technology trounces them all. But I'm also worried about the clumsiness that I still think accompanied the opening of Gravity orders: announcing two trims for launch but only opening orders for one, no clarity about the difference between the trims, a half-baked order configurator, EPA figures missing for various options, etc.

The number of posts on this forum alone from Lucid fans who were looking forward to putting in their Touring orders but are now aggravated that nothing is known about the Touring trim or whether it will even be available within the next year is a worrisome sign.

I don’t trust their marketing…..

 

[tonybot]

Tweet from Lucid PR person today. He says pre-prod. Does this mean some of the cars could be in the hand of reviewed or being shipped to studios?

 

[steveairgt]

Don't get the impression we aren't all concerned. It's a gamble, for sure. I think what people are saying is that if you are pinning your hopes on Gravity to turn the company and stock price completely around, you are likely setting yourself up for disappointment.

Doubling, tripling, maybe even quadrupling the installed base? Possible. But that's still peanuts, in the scheme of things. Lucid is a long way from profitability and mass-market sales, regardless of how well Gravity does. It's just not a type of vehicle most people buy.

Whether it's enough to get them to mid-size is the open question. That's a toss up. Especially with uncertainty in the future about the EV market in general. But that's out of Lucid's hands.

All probably true, but remember, Peter did say that the Gravity addresses a market that’s 6 times larger than the Air. To meet that level, we should expect many thousands of orders. I bet they won’t announce the order total until next ER. If it’s not perceived as a good number, that’s a real bad sign.

I’m saying this as a LCID stockholder, Air GT owner, and very soon to be a Gravity GT orderer.

I’m starting to be a bit nervous, since there are no Gravitys in studios or available to the press, virtually no where.

I realize that profitability won’t happen till the mid size model appears in 2026 or do. But if the rollout of the Gravity is not significantly better than the Air, both in quality and volume, we may never see a mid size Lucid.

 

[DrLucid]

Tweet from Lucid PR person today. He says pre-prod. Does this mean some of the cars could be in the hand of reviewed or being shipped to studios?

Interesting post on X ( don’t think Elon likes the word tweet anymore). Some light at the end of tunnel to be hopeful about some deliveries possibly by end of December.

 

[momo3605]

Interesting post on X ( don’t think Elon likes the word tweet anymore). Some light at the end of tunnel to be hopeful about some deliveries possibly by end of December.

I think it’s the opposite. If they are just preparing pre-prod cars for press reviews then production is probably going to end up being Q1

 

[hmp10]

Tweet from Lucid PR person today. He says pre-prod. Does this mean some of the cars could be in the hand of reviewed or being shipped to studios?

I'm not sure what the dividing lines are between a gamma prototype, a release candidate, and a pre-production vehicle -- all terms I have seen applied to Gravities over the past few months.

Lucid published a video of the first release candidate Gravity coming off the production line three months ago. If they are only now at pre-production (whatever that is), I would tend to agree with @momo3605 that we won't see anything delivered by year end, which is less than six weeks away.

FWIW, a mobile tech came to our house today, and I asked him what he was hearing about the Gravity. He said he has heard that Lucid will deliver a few Gravities by year end just to say they did, but there won't be any significant number of deliveries until Q1. When I asked him the source of that information he was so unsure of its veracity that I didn't even bother to post about it until I saw these last few posts.

Rawlinson said this week that production start was "eminent" (whatever that means). But I have seen nothing reported on this forum or elsewhere that anyone has been contacted to confirm a final order configuration, which I assume would have to happen before production begins unless the first Gravities are going to be delivered to insiders. I ordered within an hour of orders opening up and got a call from my delivery advisor about an hour later, telling me I was one of the first orders they received. (I'm not sure I will confirm my order until I see what impact my wheel choice will have on range, anyway.)