Lucid wants to beat Tesla with medium-sized models - prepares three

Evidently, the road traced by Tesla is the right one. As Elon Musk and co. did a decade ago, other manufacturers are now also trying their hand at the electric car as they start with premium models, with high cost and low production volumes, and then expand the range with more affordable cars.

After Rivian, which presented the R2 and R3, it is now the turn of Lucid, which, after the flagship Air and the SUV Gravity, has made it known that it is working on less exclusive electric cars. There will be as many as three of them and, once again, they will be designed to counter Tesla's dominance in the American market and, later, in other regions as well.

Tesla in the crosshairs

Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson, who just so happens to have worked at Tesla as chief engineer of the Model S, has said in the past that he wanted to make an electric car costing around $50,000 (£38,000) that would upset both the Tesla Model 3 and the Tesla Model Y.

Lucid Gravity: the luxury SUV is 5.03 metres long

Today we learn that there are more models in the pipeline that will more or less fit into that range. The first, as we know, will be an SUV. The move makes sense, since that is the sector of the market that pulls the most. The second, thinking of a rival to the Model 3, could be a saloon as a sort of little sister to the Air. And the third?

There will also be an off-roader

Following the statements made, some speculated that it might be an estate version derived from the three-volume form, but that will not be the case. In fact, Lucid's eyes are on another type of vehicle.

The Lucid Air in Pure version

Lucid Motors

Derek Jenkins, senior vice-president in charge of design at the Newark, California-based brand, said that there are many family car lovers at Lucid, but that the market does not appreciate it and that the segment is disappearing. Jenkins added that a growing electric car category is off-road cars. That is what the company is aiming at.

"It will be a vehicle in line with Lucid's DNA: it will be sleek and have modern, streamlined shapes. But it will have elements that will make it more rugged and more off-road capable," said Jenkins, who concluded by saying that "there are a lot of manufacturers that have projects like this on their desks.

More from Lucid:

The Lucid Air Sapphire does 0 to 150 to 0 four seconds quicker than a 911 Turbo S

'We're not just here to make luxury vehicles': Lucid's design chief on what's next

The Lucid Gravity offers 'guided meditations' with Lucid Sanctuaries

Possible Lucid pickup truck seen in clay model form

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