California based startup Lucid has just revealed the all-electric, 440 mile range Gravity, an SUV with supercar-rivalling performance that can seat up to seven adults - and it’ll be coming to the UK - although sadly, not for a while.

Lucid's CEO Peter Rawlinson is a Brit and at the Los Angeles Auto Show he told me that “of course” he’d love to see his cars on UK roads, but had ruled out selling left hand drive models.

“How many would we sell? 20 or 30? I don’t think we could offer the right level of service to our customers” Rawlinson explained. Instead he’ll wait until Lucid is able to get right hand drive cars into production - most likely in 2025.

The Gravity is the second car from Lucid and follows on from the BMW i7 rivaling Air, which is the 2023 World Luxury Car of the Year and from a first look around it I think it’ll be worth waiting for.

Design is a strong point for Lucid and while the Gravity - which was designed by a female team - can carry seven adults in comfort over three rows of seats, it avoids looking like a cube on wheels with a sleeker aerodynamic shape that has drag coefficient of just 0.24Cd.

Its low roofline and sleek glass roof helps to get that claimed range of over 440 miles from its 118kWh battery, which is more compact and energy dense than competitor batteries of a similar capacity. Rawlinson told me his expectations for efficiency are around 3.6m/kWh.

The huge 118kWh battery gives a claimed range of 440 miles

Re-charging will be speedy and it'll be capable of super-fast speeds of 350kW thanks to its 900-volt electrical system, which Lucid claims can add up to 200 miles in just 15 minutes. 

While the Gravity is a super-sized SUV it’s also capable of supercar performance and can accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than 3.5 seconds, while it still manages to have a towing capacity of 2,700 kg  - that's 450kg more than a Tesla Model X and almost twice that of a BMW iX. A clever suspension system called Zero Gravity will automatically adapt to various road conditions, and the suspension can also be raised to maximise off-road capability, or lowered for increased performance and range.

The main focus in the cabin is an evolution of Lucid’s Clearview Cockpit, which will receive over-the-air updates, and you get a massive 34-inch curved OLED display that floats above the steering wheel, you also get a touch bar for all the key functions like climate control and audio volume. 

The dashboard features a massive 34-inch curved OLED display

In true California style you can opt for different driving ‘moods’ and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of places like Lake Tahoe or Joshua Tree or select guided meditations, developed with mental health specialists Meditopia, which could be handy to help you chill out while you’re charging.

Space is key with a large SUV, and despite its lower roofline the gravity has loads of it and it feels very roomy inside with large glass windows letting in plenty of light. Rawlison explained that his design team has worked for 18 months on getting the seat configuration rights to make the most of the space available. The second row seats slide back and forth to give easy access to the third row and they have tables that fold out from the seats in front, while the back two rows of seats fold flat to give a massive load area which is large enough to carry surfboards or a mountain bike. Round at the front there’s a huge frunk that doubles up as a comfortable seat for a couple of people to sit in when you’re parked up.

Production of Gravity will start in the US 2024 with prices starting at $80,000 (£64,500).

the back two rows of seats fold flat to give a massive load area