Lucid Confirms $50K Cosmos and Earth Mid-Sized SUVs

Third mid-sized model is still unnamed, but targeting the rugged end of the market.

Lucid on Thursday at its annual Investor Day, confirmed details on two of its three upcoming mid-sized models. Set to launch later this year, this pair of models follows a familiar naming theme from the American brand: Cosmos and Earth.

The mid-sized project is a make-or-break moment for Lucid. The brand acknowledges it dramatically expands Lucid's reach (and crucially, revenue opportunities), and such a large segment allows for specialization. To that end, the Cosmos and Earth are both targeting subtly different parts of the market, though both naturally share many components as well: some 95 percent according to Lucid.

A key part of the Cosmos and Earth strategy is efficiency, which makes sense from the brand with the market's most efficient EV powertrain. While Lucid wouldn't talk battery capacity today, it is targeting 4.5 miles (7.24 kilometers) per kilowatt-hour. At that rate, even a 70.0-kWh pack would achieve the unofficial industry standard of 300 mi (483 km) single-charge range—actually, 315 miles (507 km). Performance is another brand tenet: Lucid says the mid-sized models can hit 60 mph (97 km/h) in 3.5 seconds. Aiding efficiency is a slippery 0.22 drag coefficient; Lucid didn't specify which model achieves that.

We're going to guess that won't be possible in the entry-level models, which Lucid says will start under $50,000 USD. That seems to be the sweet spot for these smaller models; it's where the Rivian R2 will play as well.

After the Air and Gravity's split-screen interior setups, the mid-sized Cosmos and Earth will adopt the more common single-panel layout. Spanning 36 inches across the center of the dashboard, the screen sits behind a slightly reshaped steering wheel, which is still a squircle a la Gravity.

Lucid made sure to stress the continued use of physical controls for basic climate and audio volume functions. What's more, the mid-sized models will eschew the electronic door handles of their larger siblings for simple, traditional mechanical items. Huzzah!

The mid-sized project will use just three pieces of electrical hardware. For reference, the Gravity uses a dozen. This results in a 60-percent reduction in wiring, speeding up production and chopping down latency within the vehicle.

Lucid also provided more information on the electric motors powering the mid-sized Cosmos and Earth. Dubbed Atlas, it isn't simply a scaled-down version of the existing unit (Zeus), but a unique design that focuses on reducing costs and total parts while maintaining a strong power-per-pound ratio.

This is a consistent theme across the mid-sized models: reducing bill of material (BOM) costs. Lucid interim CEO Marc Winterhoff presented a graph that shows the Lucid Cosmos is already undercutting an unnamed Chinese EV SUV on that front, and approaching a certain US brand's model (read: Tesla).

Lucid detailed its prospective mid-sized buyer profiles during Investor Day, giving them suitably aspirational names like Upscale Nurturer, Trendsetting Achiever, and Active Explorer. Essentially, these progress from on- to off-road focus, with the Cosmos being a sportier, swoopier offering—and the mid-sized model to arrive first. Following up will be Earth, which lands at the heart of the market. The unnamed third model falls at the right of the provided graph, occupying space with models as diverse as a Ford Bronco and a Hyundai Santa Fe.

The Lucid Cosmos will launch later this year; the Earth will follow "approximately a year" later.

We're on site at Lucid Investor Day, so stay tuned for more news as it happens.

We said it up top: this is a make-or-break moment for Lucid. A significant portion of not just the mid-sized presentation but all of Investor Day has been dedicated to profitability, of driving down build costs for the Cosmos and Earth by up to 70 percent versus Gravity. This should increase margins per unit, and result in efficiencies for the existing models too. Is this... trickle-down economics? The financial side matters: as impressive as Lucid's models are, the company must be profitable to survive.

Cosmos and Earth certainly sound impressive, at least so far. Lucid isn't just talking fluff: the Gravity remains one of the very best vehicles we drove last year, EV or otherwise. Electric models face a headwind in North America right now, but launching into the thick of the market with the same strengths of its existing models—efficiency, performance, style, and space—should open up Lucid to entire new groups of buyers and secure the brand's long-term health.

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