American electric carmaker Lucid Motors intends to develop rivals to the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y, including right-hand-drive (RHD) variants of those models.
The two new vehicles, which are expected to compete with Tesla’s offerings, will be released after the formal launch of Gravity SUV, which is planned to make its debut in the second half of next year.
As a result, the Model 3 and Model Y rivals from Lucid will make the company’s four-model lineup by the end of 2024, according to the company CEO Peter Rawlinson, as quoted by Auto Express. He said:
“After Gravity, we’re going to do Model 3 and Model Y competitors. We think they will be priced around US$50,000 or something like that. It’s too early to say, but that’s the vision.”
However while Lucid is eager to expand its reach to right-hand-drive markets, it’s a matter of engineering priorities. For Lucid, RHD model projects may have to be outsourced to an outside engineering firm. Rawlinson said:
“It breaks my heart, maybe we can outsource the right-hand drive project to an engineering company to do it for us. The potential market in the UK is probably bigger than even Germany in terms of a latent desire to go EV.”
Beyond its current models, Lucid intends to license its technology to create a multiplier effect in the market for electric vehicles. In a more recent agreement, Lucid and Aston Martin exchanged US$232 million in shares and cash for EV powertrain components. These components will be used to build future Aston Martin electric hypercars, sports cars, GTs, and SUVs, the first of which will debut in 2025.
The biggest impact that could be made on the mass-market EV will be with smaller battery packs, says Rawlinson, whose vision is to achieve an efficiency rate of 9.6 km per kWh. “The electric car of the future only needs 250 miles (400 km) of range; we don’t need 500-mile (800 km)-capable cars in the future, 10 years from now,” said Rawlinson while adding:
“Now is Lucid going to make that? No. It’s a horrible thing to be making. But could we be the ‘intel inside’ for that car? The enabler? Absolutely. And that’s where we could get the multiplier effect.”
A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com
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