Lucid Motors wants to compete directly with the Tesla Model 3/Y

Although the most recent news about Lucid Motors is not exactly positive, the leadership of the California-based company still looks to the future with optimism. The company recently presented the production version of the second electric model in its lineup, the Gravity. A premium SUV that, like the Air saloon, is aimed at those seeking a higher level of luxury. However, this new model will not satisfy the ambitions of Lucid Motors in the world of electric mobility.

This was announced by the company’s CEO, Peter Rawlinson, in statements to the media, assuring that the future of Lucid Motors goes beyond these two electric models we already know.

Rawlinson stated that the third electric model from Lucid Motors will be a direct rival to the Model 3/Y, placing it one step below the Air and Gravity in the manufacturer’s range. Its dimensions will also be smaller, as will its price, which should be around 50 thousand dollars in the US market. Clearly below the 80 thousand dollars currently charged for the most affordable version of the Lucid Air, or the 249 thousand for the top-of-the-range version of this same model, the Lucid Air Sapphire.

Starting at the top to move into new market segments

After launching two electric models aimed at a small number of privileged buyers and with a high profit margin per unit sold, the next step for Lucid Motors will be to also make its mark in the family vehicle market, with lower margins but a much higher sales volume. Lucid Motors seems to want to follow the same path already taken by Tesla, which, after marketing a saloon and a premium SUV — the Model S and the Model X — began selling the Model 3 at the end of the last decade and, some time later, the Model Y. These last two models currently account for a large part of the company’s sales.

Following this path will not be easy, however. Tesla already had many problems scaling up production of the Model 3 during the first year after this electric model was launched. Elon Musk himself considered that this was the biggest challenge the company had faced, describing it as “production hell“. A situation that Lucid Motors will almost certainly also experience if it finally decides to compete in this market segment as well.

Finally, it is worth noting that one of the areas in which Lucid Motors could perhaps differentiate itself from the rest of the competition is range. The Lucid Air Grand Touring is currently the electric vehicle with the highest EPA range on sale in the United States, with more than 800 km covered per charge. The company’s experience in battery technology can, without a doubt, play a fundamental role, and we should not forget that range is precisely one of the aspects most valued by consumers in the United States when buying a new vehicle with this type of powertrain.