Enlarge / Lucid has dropped the Air's drag coefficient to just 0.197, making it the most aerodynamic car on sale. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)

When we saw our first Lucid Air prototype in 2017, we came away extremely impressed . This alpha build appeared far more realized than some prototypes, complete with functioning infotainment software as opposed to the pre-rendered demos that are often more common in such cases. But the startup automaker has had anything but an easy time since then. Yesterday, it announced its Q4 2023 deliveries ahead of an investor call in late February, and the numbers are bad.

Lucid originally planned to launch the Air sedan in 2019. Designed by Tesla's former VP and Chief Vehicle Engineer Peter Rawlinson, together with designer Derek Jenkins, the Air aimed for Mercedes-Benz S-Class levels of space and luxury on the interior but with the footprint of the smaller Mercedes E-Class. Under its ultra-low-drag body was a highly advanced electric vehicle powertrain capable of extremely rapid acceleration, a high top speed , and class-leading range.

But starting a new car company is neither easy nor cheap. Lucid struggled to obtain funding until Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund invested a billion dollars in the company in 2018, allowing Lucid to complete work on its factory in Arizona and push on with developing the Air.

Enlarge (credit: Aston Martin)

On Monday morning, Aston Martin announced that it has a new technology partner. The low-volume British sports car maker has just signed a deal with Lucid, the US-based electric vehicle startup, that will see future Aston Martin EVs use Lucid's efficient and powerful powertrains.

"The proposed agreement with Lucid forms a significant pillar of our electrification strategy, providing Aston Martin with access to the industry's leading powertrain and battery systems technology. Combined with our internal development, this will allow us to create a single bespoke BEV platform suitable for all future Aston Martin products, all the way from hypercars to sports cars and SUVs," said Roberto Fedeli, Aston Martin's chief technology officer.

Aston Martin is paying Lucid $232 million in a combination of cash and shares to gain access to its technology. Additionally, it will spend at least $225 million on powertrain components.

Enlarge / After showing us how it could redefine the electric luxury sedan, Lucid turned its attention to the SUV. (credit: Lucid)

The luxurious Lucid Air might be expensive, but it is rather good . But one model alone is not enough to sustain a car company, particularly when that model is a sedan, a form factor now rather less in vogue than it once was. Lucid's next model will be something entirely more in fashion. It's an SUV called the Lucid Gravity, and Lucid sent over a couple of shots of its newest electric vehicle testing on public roads.

"I am excited to see the Gravity SUV moving forward so quickly in its development, as it builds upon everything this company has achieved thus far and drives further advancements of our in-house technology to create a luxury electric SUV like none other," said Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson. "The Lucid Air redefined the sedan category, and as our technology continues to evolve and lead the market, we are in a place where the Gravity is positioned to change the world of SUVs."

Concrete details about the Lucid Gravity are hard to come by right now. Lucid says that it will be a comfortable seven-seater, with good driving dynamics and more range than any other electric SUV on sale currently.

Enlarge / Efficient design and a big battery combine in the Lucid Air Grand Touring. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)

It's been more than a decade since Tesla proved that it's possible to start a new American automaker—and even become profitable. Its success has sparked a wave of subsequent EV startups, each with a mission to decarbonize our transportation sector. But that was a difficult prospect even before 2020 brought its own flavor of disruption to this nascent industry.

Of those upstarts, Rivian and Lucid have made it into production thanks to large investments . Rivian is busy building EV pickups and SUVs aimed at those with an affluent outdoorsy lifestyle, plus 100,000 electric delivery vans for Amazon . Lucid is further behind, but it too has gone into production with the Lucid Air, a handsome luxury sedan with a tiny drag coefficient, oodles of power and torque, and a rather hefty price tag—the Air Grand Touring we tested starts at $138,000.

Ars first met the Lucid Air in 2017 when the company brought one of its alpha prototypes to Washington, DC, to show off to lawmakers. In 2021, we went for a ride in the passenger seat , but now we've had some actual seat time in this intriguing EV.

Enlarge / This is our first official look at the Lucid Gravity, a new electric SUV from the luxury automaker. (credit: Lucid)

On Tuesday afternoon, Lucid showed off its next electric vehicle, called the Gravity. We've known for some time that the Saudi-backed EV startup was working on an SUV to go with its high-end sedan, the Air, as the prototype has been seen testing in California. But now it's official.

"Gravity builds upon everything we have achieved thus far, driving further advancements of our in-house technology to create a luxury performance SUV like none other. Just as Lucid Air redefined the sedan category, so too will Gravity impact the world of luxury SUVs, setting new benchmarks across the board," said Peter Rawlinson, Lucid's CEO and CTO.

The Gravity will be configurable with either five, six, or seven seats. (credit: Lucid)

The three-row SUV goes into production in 2024, which is why Lucid isn't giving out any details about the new machine other than to say it will have "supercar performance" and more range than any non-Lucid EV. The company will start taking deposits next year, and while we don't have a price for the new EV, given how expensive the Lucid Air sedan is, it's not unreasonable to expect the launch edition to cost around $200,000.

Enlarge / The DeLorean Alpha 5 is inspired by the mediocre mid-engined coupe from Northern Ireland. (credit: DeLorean)

Back in the earlier days of the Internet, when web fora still mattered and there was no such thing as Twitter, Sniff Petrol's Richard Porter published a now-infamous " Press Release Help For New Supercar Makers ." No stranger to cutting satire, Porter's checklist was a reaction to a seemingly never-ending string of new British supercars announced to middling fanfare and then often never heard of again.

Sixteen years later, I can't help but feel that we need a new version, this time not the UK's cottage industry of vaporware supercars, but the ever-expanding field of electric vehicle startups. Specifically, I'm writing this in reaction to the "new" DeLorean, renders of which went public yesterday, causing some particularly excitable corners of the Internet to begin smoldering dangerously.

Now, this isn't John DeLorean's company—that went bankrupt in 1982 after producing about 8,500 examples of a single model that wasn't really ever as good as it should have been, called the DMC-12. However, the DMC-12 acquired cult status after starring in Back to the Future , and the DeLorean name now belongs to a company in Texas that supplies spares for the stainless steel-bodied classics.