SPIED: Lucid Begins Development On BMW i4 Rival

Lucid is the talk of the town at the moment, thanks to the introduction of the Air. Many publications, including this one, believe it is the starting point of a new generation of EVs, and not just because of its 520-mile range.

The Air is unfortunately out of reach for the average American, so Lucid needs to expand its portfolio as soon as possible. Starting with a halo car is brilliant, and introducing an SUV soon after is just as inspired, but what about the average folk? Thanks to a recent spy shot found on Twitter, we now know that Lucid is working on a smaller car.

Twitter user Taylor Ogan snapped the first image of a disguised Lucid. According to the tweet, the car appears to have a shorter wheelbase, a droopier grille, and a smaller intake.

The first deliveries of the Air began in late October 2021. Thanks to a recent recall, more than 1,100 have been produced so far.

The next big step is the Lucid Gravity, which is scheduled to debut next year. Future products are planned for 2025. The development would have to start this year to introduce a smaller Lucid in time, so the timeline fits.

It also gives Lucid time to get another factory up and running. Currently, the Air is being churned out at Lucid's AMP-1 plant. To produce the Gravity and an additional model will require massive expansion or possibly an entirely new facility. Lucid is currently setting up shop in Saudi Arabia, which could be the perfect spot for a smaller sibling to the Air.

What will the smaller Lucid compete against? Lucid's CEO, Peter Rawlinson, has made it clear that he does not want to compete with Tesla. That's odd, considering Rawlinson was the driving force behind the Tesla Model S.

Instead, Rawlinson is targeting old-school luxury brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The only German EV that fits the bill is the BMW i4. The i4 is relatively affordable given what Americans are spending on cars these days. We also know a Fisker Pear is coming, not to mention the onslaught of brand-new EV manufacturers that keep on popping up.

This leaves us with one crucial question: What should the smaller Lucid be called? Well, Helium is lighter than air, but it's not very catchy as a name. We think Lucid's marketing department will come up with something better than that.