Lucid Group said Tuesday it has started testing pre-production versions of its all-electric Gravity SUV on public roads in the United States, a signal of progress for an automaker with just one model in its portfolio.
Lucid currently produces several versions of the Air, an all-electric luxury sedan that came to market in 2022. The Gravity SUV will be its second model.
Lucid gave consumers their first peek at the Gravity back in 2020 during an event to unveil the Air. At the time, the company said the Gravity was already well into the design process. The company had a working prototype, which was spotted in summer 2020 out in the wild.
Lucid originally planned to begin producing the Gravity at its factory in Arizona in late 2023. That date has since been pushed to 2024. The company has not indicated what quarter production will begin,
While the Gravity has the same underlying platform as the Air, there will be some next-generation design in the seven-seater SUV. The Lucid Gravity will feature new high-resolution displays and a UX design.
The Lucid Gravity announcement comes a day after Lucid held its annual shareholder meeting and elected three new board members. The company said Monday that Sherif Marakby, Chabi Nouri, and Ori Winitzer were elected and will replace Nancy Gioia, Frank Lindenberg, and Tony Posawatz.
Lucid’s board now has nine members including, Turqi Alnowaiser, Glenn R. August, Andrew Liveris, Nichelle Maynard-Elliott, CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson and Janet S. Wong, all of whom were re-elected. Eight of the directors qualify as independent under NASDAQ rules.
Last month, Lucid Group cut its workforce by 18% as part of a restructuring. The layoffs, which will affect 1,300 employees, will be completed by the end of the second quarter and will be across the organization and include executive positions.