The Lucid Air is a marvelous electric car. It offers more range than any EV currently on sale, plus impressive performance and tech. However, it’s also a sedan, and therefore will always have limited reach in a marketplace dominated by SUVs. Enter the Lucid Gravity, a seven-passenger, three-row SUV launching in 2024 that will allow Lucid to reach a wider audience.
The Gravity is a sensible follow-up to the Air. Having introduced itself to the world with that sedan, Lucid can now channel some of the buzz into a vehicle aimed at a larger patch of the market. But it also presents a challenge. In order to create a true SUV, Lucid had to make the Gravity heavier and less aerodynamic than the Air, cutting into the efficiency that was a hallmark of the sedan’s design.
Even with this less-than-optimal package, Lucid claims 440 miles of range. That’s less than the Air’s 516-mile maximum range, but still more than any other current EV — SUV or otherwise. A coefficient of drag (Cd) of 0.24 helps. That’s better than the 0.26 of the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, and it matches the Tesla Model X.
That aerodynamic envelope still leaves room for passengers and cargo. Sliding second-row seats include integrated tables, while the third row boasts “remarkable legroom,” Lucid claims. The Gravity has 112 cubic feet of cargo space with both the second and third rows folded, plus a large frunk with a low lip that allows it to serve as a bench for tailgating.
Up front, a 34-inch curved OLED panel serves as both the instrument cluster and infotainment touchscreen. As in the Air, a smaller screen with additional touch controls sites below it. The Gravity introduces what Lucid calls its next-generation software, with continual over-the-air (OTA) updates over the life of the vehicle.
Lucid didn’t quote horsepower, but said the all-wheel drive Gravity will be able to do zero to 60 mph in less than 3.5 seconds, and will boast a 6,000-pound towing capacity and 1,500-pound payload capacity. An optional air suspension system will allow for some degree of off-road capability, while a 900-volt electrical architecture shared with the Air will provide ultra-fast charging that can add up to 200 miles of range in 15 minutes.
Full pricing information will be released closer to the planned start of production in late 2024, but Lucid is targeting a base price of less than $80,000. That will put the Gravity in the middle of a crowded field of electric luxury SUVs, including not only the aforementioned Mercedes and Tesla, but also the Audi Q8 e-tron, BMW iX, Cadillac Lyriq, and Rivian R1S. None of these rivals can match the Gravity’s range, or its charging speed, though.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.