Lucid Gravity’s Derek Jenkins On What Inspired This Luxe Electric SUV

The inspiration for the newest luxury electric SUV started with the lowly minivan.

Actually, the minivan is a natural inspiration. “Who doesn’t want that flexibility with space, but in an SUV, not a minivan?” said Derek Jenkins, senior vice-president of design and brand at Lucid Motors. And that space is part of the luxury that SUV buyers look for.

“Oftentimes when people buy large SUVs they have to take a lot of people and cargo, and it’s important that we create that flexibility for comfort and space,” Jenkins said. That idea, he said, comes from experience driving his two teen sons and often their friends. “It’s usually me, my wife, the oldest, the youngest and probably two other kids, skis, snowboards. We have that flexibility in depth for the cargo to get all of it in the Gravity,” the new three row, seven passenger luxury electric SUV from Lucid due out later this year.

That’s because, taking a page from minivan design, the Gravity’s third row seats flip and stow in the floor, and second row seats fold flat and low, creating a deeper cargo space.

It’s Not Luxury If Passengers Are Uncomfortable

The design challenge isn’t just about cargo space, though; Jenkins and his team also thought about how that space would translate to passenger comfort. “We find with sportier SUVs the 3rd row is an afterthought. A full grown adult generally doesn’t want to spend any meaningful time back there,” Jenkins said. “We worked really hard with this car to make legroom a priority, and headroom,” he told us. The goal was to create comfortable seating that is wide enough so adults can spend two or three hours in the third row and not be uncomfortable or fatigued.

Adding to the SUV functionality, Jenkins and team thought carefully about cargo space, too: Not just the space behind the third row, but a useful roof rack and frunk space that would add utility. The result is a sizable space behind the third row that Lucid boasts will hold a large suitcase and 4 roll-aboard bags. The frunk, which has 8 cubic feet of space, is designed in shape and depth to hold another 3 carry-on bags. And, roof rails offer additional room for a cargo box or sports gear.

Architecture-Inspired Details Enhance The Experience

Inspiration in the Lucid Gravity came from other places, too, Jenkins said. Ambient lighting, a relatively new car designer obsession, is how you control the atmosphere of a car, he told us. “Much like you use lighting in architecture, how you light the walls or landscaping,” you can light the door panels, foot wells, cup holders, as well as backlighting controls and features.

Color adds to the mood or sets the tone in the car. Lucid’s ambient lighting will be fully animated, Jenkins said, changing and pulsing with the music. And when using launch control for a burst of instant acceleration, the lighting will move with you, he said. Ambient lighting “adds an emotional dimension to the interior that didn’t exist a few years ago.”

The Clear View Cockpit Means A Better View Of The Road

Maybe the most distinct design detail in the Lucid Gravity, though, is the “suqircle” steering wheel and wide panel multimedia system. This is the Clear View Cockpit, Jenkins told us.

In “95% of cars you view the screen or gauges through the steering wheel; because we are in a higher SUV seating position, we were able to bring the display up higher, reshape the steering wheel to a squircle,” Jenkins said. The Gravity’s steering wheel is flat on the top and bottom adding to visibility. “This allows the driver to view 100% of the display unblocked by the steering wheel and have an excellent view of the road.”

Below the main screen is a second screen, one that Lucid calls the Pilot Panel; this is where many functions can be set, and users can customize this screen and the top screen. Just below the Pilot Panel is a new feature: a ‘touch blade’ of buttons for climate control. Jenkins acknowledged that buyers want quick access buttons for key controls like temperature and fan speed, so they added them.

Glass Is a Central Design Theme

The steering wheel itself has more transparency too; Lucid has designed it with floating glass panels that hold the driver assist and entertainment controls. The look is novel and modern and blends well with other elements in the Gravity.

Glass works as a foundational design element: the roof is glass—Jenkins calls this a canopy—and spans from the windshield to the car’s center cross-beam, and then continues over the center and rear seats. The canopy creates an open feel in the cabin.

There is also a glass panel on the center console covering a flexible storage space, a detail that Jenkins is especially proud of.”It’s our own little space study,” he said. A frosted glass retractable top hides the cup holders, wireless phone charge pad and a tray that slides forward back; underneath are bento boxes to organize your things. Jenkins showed particular delight at the boxes because they can be moved around as needed and even removed to be cleaned.

Flexible Space Leads to Frunk-Gating

The dedication to flexible space is something that Jenkins and his team really had fun with when designing the frunk. It isn’t simply large, it’s capable for people, too. Jenkins calls it frunk-gating and even equipped the display model with a fold-out stadium seat. To make sure the frunk is game-ready, it has a low front lip so it’s easy to slide into the seat, there are cup holders on either side, a household outlet and the underside of the hood is finished in an elegant geometric design and body-color paint.

When the Lucid Gravity begins deliveries it’ll be the fastest, longest range SUV on the road, with up to 440 miles of range and up to 800 HP. And, it’ll be just one of a few six or seven passenger electric SUVs on the road.

Buyers who opt for the entry level model should qualify for federal tax incentives; the Gravity will be priced just under $80,000 which is the tax incentive threshold for SUVs built in North America. However, a lot of the premium features, including maximum range and power, will come in higher priced models. The minivan-inspired details, though, are standard; space, itself, is a luxury.