West Palm Beach Gravity Event

[hmp10]

The Gravity Dream at the West Palm Beach Studio will next be going to the Brickell City Center Studio in Miami from March 14-23. It will not be going to the Worldcenter Studio in Miami.

After hearing our reports, some friends want to see the Gravity, too. We'll take them to the Miami viewing, as it's an hour closer to us than West Palm Beach.

 

[Andretex]

The Gravity Dream at the West Palm Beach Studio will next be going to the Brickell City Center Studio in Miami from March 14-23. It will not be going to the Worldcenter Studio in Miami.

After hearing our reports, some friends want to see the Gravity, too. We'll take them to the Miami viewing, as it's an hour closer to us than West Palm Beach.

Mike, I may also go and take my wife. message me privately when you are going, and maybe we can have lunch or dinner.

 

[hmp10]

Re the Stout Scarab discussion . . . my brother just sent me this video. It discusses the Scarab starting at 17:56:

Two more interesting tidbits about just how far ahead of their time these cars were:

The 1946 Scarab was the first fiberglass-bodied car, preceding the Corvette by seven years. And it had an air suspension. (Air suspensions were first developed in the 1930's for aircraft due to their greater weight-bearing capacity over coil springs, and Stout was an aeronautical engineer.)

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I remember that, too. I think some of the resemblance between the Scarab and the Gravity are definitely a case of convergent evolution, as both designs were addressing similar aerodynamic issues.

But I really would like to know if Jenkins thought of the Scarab during the Gravity design process. He's extremely well schooled in the history of automotive design, and I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that he has studied the Scarab at some point. I'm just wondering if the elements in play here are coincidence, convergent evolution, conscious reference, or unconscious influence . . . or some combination of these.




Remember that the Scarab had a rear-mounted Ford V8 engine. Those are probably air intakes either for radiators or to cool the engine bay.

And that brings up another element of common design between the Scarab and Gravity: very short front and rear overhangs. It seems that both Stout and Jenkins were managing not only aerodynamics in similar ways, but also the space concept: unconventional powertrain layout, stretched wheelbases. (Unfortunately, Stout didn't have the powertrain miniaturization advantages with which Jenkins could work.)

Lucid Air…plane? I was thinking of influences from Saab, who also built aircraft, and Citroen, which was an early adopter of air suspension, but, that’s good thought on the Scarab maybe contributing also.

 

[xponents]

Lucid Air…plane? I was thinking of influences from Saab and Citroen, that’s good thought on the Scarab maybe contributing also.

And perhaps planes themselves contributed, especially to the design features like silver contrast and the aerodynamics!

 

[hmp10]

Lucid Air…plane? I was thinking of influences from Saab, who also built aircraft, and Citroen, which was an early adopter of air suspension, but, that’s good thought on the Scarab maybe contributing also.

I had forgotten about Citroen. It certainly drew massively from the Scarab design and engineering approach. In fact, it almost appears as the intermediary connective step in evolution from the Scarab to Lucid's products.

The C-10 -- 20 years after the Scarab -- looked as if it could have come straight off Stout's drawing boards:

 

[hmp10]

After seeing the Gravity at West Palm Beach a couple of weeks ago, we took two friends over to Miami today to see the car there. They loved it as much as we did.

The showroom in Miami (at Brickell City Center) was a good bit smaller than in West Palm Beach, so the roped off area was smaller around the car, and we were able to get a better look inside. Also, the third row, which had been up in West Palm, was folded down in Miami, so we got a different view of the rear quarters.

Close up or further away, this is one handsome SUV -- something I never thought I'd say about any SUV.

One of the friends we took grew up in the Detroit area where his father owned a Buick and Cadillac dealership and his uncle, Lynn Townsend, was Chairman and CEO of Chrysler in the 1960's. He's been a real gear head all his life and still follows automotive developments closely. We spend a lot of time talking cars and trading video links on the history of automobiles and automotive advertising. (His uncle got him his first job at Young & Rubicam, Chysler's ad firm at the time, and from there he moved to a New York casting firm where he cast actors for ad campaigns, thus spending most of his career in advertising.) He flipped over the Gravity, liking everything he saw about it.

 

[Andretex]

Mike, thanks for posting! Sad to have not joined you this time.

 

[hmp10]

Mike, thanks for posting! Sad to have not joined you this time.

Sorry we missed you this time, Andre. But we'll be back as soon as they get some Gravity color samples. (I still don't know why color samples aren't making the rounds with these demo cars.) We want to decide on colors so I can pounce on a Dream order as soon as they open up.

Granted it was an early Tuesday afternoon, but I was a little disappointed to see no traffic in the showroom during a fairly lengthy stay there.

 

[hmp10]

A couple of other notes about this visit:

The salesperson said that they are expecting Gravity sales to "explode" because "72% of all cars sold are SUVs". I got around to checking that this morning. In the U.S., 72% of vehicle sales are SUVs and pickup trucks. SUVs account for 46% of vehicle sales.

I've been trying to figure out what it would mean for Gravity sales if Lucid snagged the same percentage of SUV sales in the U.S. that it snagged of sedan sales, but it's hard to figure out just which sedans to include in the calculation. S Class Mercedes, 7 Series BMW, A8 Audi and similar cars for sure. Maybe the Model S? Maybe E-Class, 5 Series, A6, Cadillac? But what else? Which are the relevant factors? Price? Size? Since the 46% figure for SUV sales includes everything in the huge array of SUVs on the market, maybe the calculation should include everything classed as a sedan?

If I look at all sedan sales, they constituted 21.4% of the 3.6 million U.S. vehicles sold in 2023. Lucid delivered 6,001 Airs -- 0.779% of U.S. sedan sales. Applying that 0.779% to SUV sales of 1,656,000 you get 12,900 Lucid Gravity sales. For the Gravity to come anywhere close to filling the assembly lines in Casa Grande, it's going to have to snag a significantly larger percentage of SUV sales than it did of sedan sales. And remember that Gravity sales will likely cannibalize some Air sales, thus further reducing Air production numbers.

It's going to be a great vehicle. But . . . will it be great enough?

Another thing . . . I asked my usual spate of questions: what will be different about the Dream Edition? When will final features and specs be released? When will orders open up? What will the ordering protocols be? And I got the expected answers: "don't know".

However, when I asked whether things appeared to be on track for a late 2024 start of production for the Gravity, that answer unsettled me: "my friend in investor relations would get really mad if I told you what I've heard." And he would say no more.

 

[hmp10]

However, when I asked whether things appeared to be on track for a late 2024 start of production for the Gravity, that answer unsettled me: "my friend in investor relations would get really mad if I told you what I've heard." And he would say no more.

It's an ambiguous answer. Here's hoping . . . .

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I think your math is sound as it’s still a luxury SUV. Investors are so prone to wishful thinking that it clouds their vision. There’s zero evidence to expect huge Gravity sales, but good evidence to expect it to out sell the Air. I think the best move is to get a Lucid mid-size reveal moving as soon as is reasonable, given Rivian already jumped to the head of the line with the R3 surprise reveal. The Gravity will definitely improve Lucid sales but I don’t see how it could offset the red ink like a mid-size more affordable car could. I’m not being pessimistic though, this was always Lucid’s plan and I think they know what they’re doing.

 

[xponents]

I think your math is sound as it’s still a luxury SUV. Investors are so prone to wishful thinking that it clouds their vision. There’s zero evidence to expect huge Gravity sales, but good evidence to expect it to out sell the Air. I think the best move is to get a Lucid mid-size reveal moving as soon as is reasonable, given Rivian already jumped to the head of the line with the R3 surprise reveal. The Gravity will definitely improve Lucid sales but I don’t see how it could offset the red ink like a mid-size more affordable car could. I’m not being pessimistic though, this was always Lucid’s plan and I think they know what they’re doing.

Rivian pretty much knocked it out of the park and I expect there to be more pressure on Lucid. However, Lucid's midsize car should be revealed by the end of the year based on Peter's comments and a comparison to the Air rollout, and I do hope that they do a surprise reveal of BOTH the crossover and the sedan.

 

[Bus Driver]

View attachment 18985View attachment 18986View attachment 18987View attachment 18988View attachment 18989View attachment 18990View attachment 18991View attachment 18992View attachment 18993View attachment 18994Just got back from the West Palm Beach event. It was nice to see the Gravity up close - Dream edition. The car is really nice. I am very interested in buying one. We did not get a chance to sit inside, that was a bummer.

On the good side, I did meet @hmp10. Nice to meet you, Mike.

Anyway I had fun talking with other Lucid owners and staff. They told us that production should start this summer. Sales should start last quarter of 2024 with the 2025 model. They did say the Dream edition will most likely go first.

I charged last night and drove to work then to West Palm and back. I drove 70 or so on the highway, AC on and 80 degrees outside. Total drive today was 149 miles at 4.2 m/kwh. Pretty good.

I got a look too, at the Gravity, when it was on display for about a week in Newport Beach CA. I saw the silver model. Again, just like you all, I wasn’t allowed to climb inside.

Did any of you happen to notice if there was a grab handle over the front passenger door? That’s a very pedestrian but important amenity for some who are older and less agile.

I love my Lucid Air. However I find myself choosing not to take it when my elderly parents are riding with me. Whoever of them sits in the front passenger seat invariably finds themselves reaching for the non-existent grab handle, when it’s time to get out. It’s an inevitable struggle for them, climbing out of my car after that.

ADDDENDUM - Disregard. I answered my question. Watching Kyle’s video, there was a moment when the camera panned the interior. I caught sight of a grab handle over BOTH front seats. That’s a good thing!

 

[segbrk]

Did any of you happen to notice if there was a grab handle over the front passenger door? That’s a very pedestrian but important amenity for some who are older and less agile.

From @Andretex
It's cut off here, but looks very much like a handle in the front just like the one in the back.

 

[Bus Driver]

View attachment 19463

From @Andretex
It's cut off here, but looks very much like a handle in the front just like the one in the back.

VG! I wish Lucid had designed overhead grab handles for both front seats in our Airs. I’d love to think they responded to Air owner feedback, when designing the Gravity’s interior.

 

[Neurio]

VG! I wish Lucid had designed overhead grab handles for both front seats in our Airs. I’d love to think they responded to Air owner feedback, when designing the Gravity’s interior.

Zoom in and you'll see grab handles over all 4 doors.

 

[Bus Driver]

Zoom in and you'll see grab handles over all 4 doors.
View attachment 19467

Brilliant. Thank you!

 

[Rob Stark]

I've been trying to figure out what it would mean for Gravity sales if Lucid snagged the same percentage of SUV sales in the U.S. that it snagged of sedan sales, but it's hard to figure out just which sedans to include in the calculation. S Class Mercedes, 7 Series BMW, A8 Audi and similar cars for sure. Maybe the Model S? Maybe E-Class, 5 Series, A6, Cadillac? But what else? Which are the relevant factors? Price? Size? Since the 46% figure for SUV sales includes everything in the huge array of SUVs on the market, maybe the calculation should include everything classed as a sedan?

It's going to be a great vehicle. But . . . will it be great enough?

I can't imagine Air sales not significantly expanding outside of the US. Even the footprint in Canada is quite small.

And from what I understand the facility in Saudi Arabia will be an assembly not a manufacturing facility, for at least a while. Giving greater usage for Casa Grande.

And obviously, a $45k Lucid Midsize will have much greater demand than a $75k-$79.9k Gravity right now. But I don't think Lucid can deliver a profitable $45k vehicle next year. Gravity is the next step.

No grab handles, low roofline, difficult ingress/egress is a deal breaker for many vs E-Class/5 Series et al.

Gravity will not have that problem. I expect significantly more than 2x Air sales because of that greater delta in practicality relative to E-Class/GLE 5 Series/X5.

 

[no gas]

I can't imagine Air sales not significantly expanding outside of the US. Even the footprint in Canada is quite small.

And from what I understand the facility in Saudi Arabia will be an assembly not a manufacturing facility, for at least a while. Giving greater usage for Casa Grande.

And obviously, a $45k Lucid Midsize will have much greater demand than a $75k-$79.9k Gravity right now. But I don't think Lucid can deliver a profitable $45k vehicle next year. Gravity is the next step.

No grab handles, low roofline, difficult ingress/egress is a deal breaker for many vs E-Class/5 Series et al.

Gravity will not have that problem. I expect significantly more than 2x Air sales because of that greater delta in practicality relative to E-Class/GLE 5 Series/X5.

Also, as confidence in the company builds, more sales will follow. Elon Musk started rumors of bankruptcy echoed by his minions on social media. If these rumors weren’t the case, Air sales would have doubled. Gravity sales will be exponentially more than the Air, I’m expecting x4 sales at least.