Lucid's Tesla Model Y Killer Is One Step Closer To Reality

Five years after its first car went on sale and just one after its first SUV, two new Lucid electric vehicles are nearly here. The company's head of communications has confirmed that the first prototypes of its new smaller models are being assembled right now. They could be the vehicles that do for Lucid what the Model 3 and Model Y did for Tesla. Prototypes In Construction Now Lucid Midsized EVLucid "Spent time in our prototype build area today watching the first full Lucid midsize vehicles come together," Lucid communications manager Nick Twork said in a post to X (formerly Twitter). The teaser campaign for the new smaller models started in September 2024. Lucid revealed an image showing a darkened SUV shape, and since then we've seen several other teaser images of what has grown to three new smaller vehicles. Last year, company Interim CEO Marc Winteroff said that one would be a small crossover, and one would be a small sedan. The third model will be an off-roader, something that takes inspiration from the Gravity X concept that Lucid revealed during Monterey Car Week last summer. Lucid Gravity X from the front three-quarter angleLucid At the same time, Winteroff said that the company had enough funding "to get us into the second half of next year." The plan was for production of the new mid-sized EVs to start before the end of this year. With small SUVs the biggest seller in the US, that one will probably come first, with the sedan arriving last. Winteroff hinted that the last one would come a year and a half after the first. Related Lucid Could Steal Its Next Model Name From A Dead Automaker Such a thing is pretty uncommon in the automotive industry. "Same Lucid DNA as Air and Gravity — space, efficiency, dynamics, and range — paired with dramatically improved manufacturability and cost structure," reads Twork's post. He finished by saying "these are going to surprise people." Expect The Incredible Efficiency Of The Air, But Smaller Lucid teaser imageLucid Lucid's larger EVs have shown that the company can develop a seriously efficient electric. With a maximum range of more than 500 miles, the Air Grand Touring crushes even the longest-range Tesla Model S by 100 miles, with a similarly-sized battery pack. The Gravity SUV manages around the same 450 miles as a Chevrolet Silverado EV, with the Silverado's pack holding approximately double the charge. The US automaker could use the name Earth for at least one of the new EVs. It received a trademark for that name in 2025, along with Earth Dream Edition. Dream Edition is the name given to the launch version of the Lucid Air. When the first new EV arrives, it will land in a very tough market. The loss of EV incentives has other automakers moving away from the vehicles, and threw a wrench in sales. Lucid will also have stiff competition, as rival Rivian is expected to launch its new R2 model at around the same time. Related Almost Nobody Is Buying The Lucid Gravity It's a rough start, but Lucid expects better numbers in the second half of the year So far, range, power, and price are all being kept a closely-guarded secret. If the company wants it to sell, a price close to the $40,000 starting point of the Model Y is going to be important. It's probably safe to expect that Lucid will offer much more than the 321-mile range of the standard Y on its base model, and more than the 357 the longest-range Y offers on its own.

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