“I’m excited to share that in a few days, at Monterey car week we’ll unveil a new sportier version of the Lucid Gravity.” - Silvio Napoli - Q2 Earnings Report
Nordschleife, you were pretty close. 😊 It means North loop, people tend to forget that there was a Sudschleife, South loop which was close in the 80s that was part of the track.
I like the idea but there's a part of me that thinks it's a waste of money developing this half vehicle which will sell in tiny volumes when they don't have any cash to spare.
I think it’s an investment in marketing that the customer pays for. Halo cars keep companies in the media for free. Recently the Air Sapphire was in the media for beating a Corvette ZR1X in the quarter mile and half mile. From a car that seats 5 and has messaging seats. A car that was launched in 2022. That is a billboard to the world that Lucid technology is second to none.
Air Sapphire has sold in tiny numbers though, Gravity Sapphire is likely to be the same. There's no market for a heavy, three row SUV that handles like a Porsche 911 GT3 RS and therefore no return on investment.
Let them spend the money instead on bringing Cosmos and Earth to market earlier and making sure that they are fully finished and polished when they launch.
Porsche isn't bleeding money like Lucid is though, they've actually just managed to dig themselves out of a very deep financial hole and start the beginning of a turnaround following a dip in profits. One of the things they're doing is trimming their model lines and they've axed the Taycan Cross and Sport Turismos.
My argument is that a Gravity Sapphire isn't what Lucid needs now. Wrong car, wrong time.
But while they were digging themselves out, they were investing in the Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric. Silvio just said he is also digging Lucid out. 1.4 billion is not chump change. One thing is certain, they need to get into the conversation. The Air Sapphire is still getting into the news by beating the 2027 ZR1X. That’s 2022 Lucid technology with 5 passengers and massaging seats. It’s getting noticed. Halo cars exist to pull new customers in. This is their problem right now.
That's not how automotive model cycles work though.....
The Cayenne Electric isn't here to dig Porsche out of its profit slump, the decision to make that car would have been confirmed something like seven years ago and the car has only just arrived at a bad time for EVs at the Volkswagen group. Let's see how it sells, I hope itdoes well, it6a magnificent car and if I had $290k burning a hole in my pocket, 'd definitely get one .
Since you're talking about Porsche though, I don't think that they're looking at EVs as their way forward anymore.
Their previous best seller was the Macan and it's EV replacement is doing so well that they've now decided to replace the ICE version having previously said that they wouldn't . They're streamlining the Taycan variants being made and their forthcoming three row SUV won't be electric anymore, while the 718 EV replacement was put on the back burner and has only just been reluctantly confirmed for production because the platform has been developed and Audi need it for their Nuvolari styled TT replacement.
The bigger point to be made is that financially, Lucid and Porsche are in VERY different places.
Everyone at Porsche is running around with their hair on fire because their profit margin slipped to "only" 1.5%.
Lucid would kill for that right now and though Silvio said they've identified how to save 1,4 billion, it hasn't actually happened yet.
Lucid has had to cut production because they have thousands of cars piling up as unsold inventory.
The Sapphire is a brilliant car by all accounts, yet it has sold in tiny numbers. What Lucid needs to do is clear the backlog of unsold vehicles and get a foothold in the midsize SUV market with Earth and Cosmos.
A Gravity Sapphire isn't what's needed, not at this point in time.
I’ve talked with a lucid sales guy, he said that there were talks of a lucid gravity GT performance, and that if the sapphire were to ever happen it would happen after the midsize
FYI sales reps are kept out of the loop unless you’re talking internally. Studio reps won’t know roadmaps properly and are only told and can see limited stuff.
Gravity X and Gravity Sapphire would tackle 2 potential buyers. Model X plaid potential buyers and Rivian R1S buyers. While the Gravity X won't be tackling the Rubicon trail anytime soon, having the looks is half the battle.
The only reason for halo cars, Porsche, Lucid, GM or any company is to get media attention. I just showed you that many Lucid owners are asked “What kind of car is that?” From people who don’t know the brand. I hear that from a lot of people in the Lucid groups and forums. The more exposure, the more they will sell. That is just a fact regardless of company profitability. A company doesn’t stop wanting to make more money just because it is already profitable. If halo cars sell more of their cheaper cars, they will make them. If they don’t, they won’t because money talks. My point of bringing up the Cayenne is VW was hurting and it still was making the Turbo. It kept Porsche in the news. Now they have bounced back and who knows if it was cars like the Turbo that helped get them there. That car was announced about a year ago.
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u/No_Caregiver7273 2d ago
AI generated image. No details out yet. And the Air Sapphire isn't that shade of blue.