Lucid Motors is one of the most interesting of a crop of young EV startups that are hoping to duplicate Tesla’s formula of launching a luxury EV as the first step towards bringing EVs to the mainstream (see our interview with CTO Peter Rawlinson in the March/April 2018 issue of Charged). A prototype of that vehicle, the Lucid Air, hit the road in early 2017, and those who’ve had a ride have posted raves.

Now The Verge reports that Lucid may reveal an electric SUV as early as this summer. Lucid CTO Peter Rawlinson told The Verge it’s “quite possible” the company could unveil ESUV plans later this year, and two “people familiar with Lucid’s plans” said the Lucid SUV is already in the works.

“We have a plan for future models in mind, and we can hopefully be in a position to clarify that plan later this year,” said Rawlinson. “Certainly, with Lucid Air platform, we have a platform that is ideally suited for more vehicles than just the Air, and of course we want to exploit that.”

Lucid says the Air will have a range of over 400 miles for the vehicle, a 0-60 time under 2.5 seconds, and a top speed over 200 mph (such fun!). It will also feature autonomous driving hardware and Tesla-style over-the-air updates. It’s supposed to go into production in late 2020 with a base price of $60,000.

Last September, Lucid secured $1 billion in funding from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) to build an EV factory in Arizona. However, the company is still waiting for the US government to approve the Saudi investment. Rawlinson told The Verge the deal should be approved “in the very near future.”

Source: The Verge, Electrek