Lucid Believes Its 2027 Earth Will Be Smarter, Cheaper Than Rival EVs
Lucid’s CEO teases a few more details about the midsize vehicle on which the brand’s future viability relies.
Frank MarkusWriterManufacturerPhotographerAvarvariiIllustratorSep 08, 2025
2026 Lucid Earth Midsize Electric SUV 5
During a press conference with American journalists held ahead of the Lucid Gravity’s European launch at the 2025 Munich IAA auto show, Lucid CEO Marc Winterhoff did a bit of bragging on the company’s forthcoming “mission critical” midsize Lucid Earth product line. He suggested the Earth will be vastly less expensive to build than its competitors, and that one of the Earth’s three confirmed “top hat” bodies would serve as the vehicle it will deliver to Uber as part of a recent deal with the rideshare company to supply it with autonomous taxis.
During the call, Winterhoff reinforced the goal of keeping the opening price of the Lucid Earth to around $50,000, and then shared some details aimed at convincing skeptics that a Lucid built at such a price can indeed turn a profit. Winterhoff stated: “We are very far along with sourcing the BOM [bill of materials] costs that we have for that first vehicle right now and it’s on a completely different planet than where we are with our existing products, and even compared to several of our competitors. We know what the BOM costs [are] from some [competitor] vehicles from U.S. manufacturers in that segment. We’re talking about almost half of it. We’ve done a lot of optimization. We have right now [a] lower parts count than the new [Tesla] Model Y.”
Lucid Gravity X concept 21
As for the three top hats, the first will be the Earth SUV that’s been teased. For the second, Winterhoff says the Lucid Gravity X Concept just unveiled at Pebble Beach will provide inspiration, so count on a ruggedized, off-road style variant of the initial Earth SUV to arrive in late 2027 or mid 2028. He gave no further details on the third design, but he confirmed that the midsize platform would be the basis for the recently announced Uber autonomous taxi project. The first SUV might make the most sense from a package suitability standpoint, but it could also utilize the third design, which we still expect (or perhaps we simply hope) will be a sedan.
Lucid Gravity X concept 31
Another chief component of Lucid’s profitability plan for the midsize platform (and the Air sedan and Gravity SUV) is extreme efficiency. Highly efficient motor(s) and an electronic architecture mounted in extremely aerodynamic bodywork that’s as light as practical, riding on low-rolling-resistant running gear allows the company to deliver competitive or best-in-class range with a much smaller (less expensive) battery pack than competitors need to achieve the same range. We therefore expect great things from the new 335-hp Atlas motor that’s expected to power the Lucid Earth models.
The company is spending a lot of money on vehicle development and assembly-plant construction right now, and Winterhoff confirmed that current funding levels will see Lucid through the middle of next year. That means additional funding will be needed to finance the Earth’s launch.
Presuming funding comes through, Lucid Earth production will occur both in Casa Grande, Arizona, and at Lucid’s forthcoming plant in Saudi Arabia. Speaking of which, Winterhoff said construction is proceeding slightly ahead of schedule—a rarity in that local construction-boom market. That plant will initially build complete-knockdown kits (CKDs) of Air and Gravity, but will build the Earth from scratch.
Lucid D SUV frontquarter
Frank Markus
I started critiquing cars at age 5 by bumming rides home from church in other parishioners’ new cars. At 16 I started running parts for an Oldsmobile dealership and got hooked on the car biz. Engineering seemed the best way to make a living in it, so with two mechanical engineering degrees I joined Chrysler to work on the Neon, LH cars, and 2nd-gen minivans. Then a friend mentioned an opening for a technical editor at another car magazine, and I did the car-biz equivalent of running off to join the circus. I loved that job too until the phone rang again with what turned out to be an even better opportunity with Motor Trend. It’s nearly impossible to imagine an even better job, but I still answer the phone…
