'By blowing people away': US-based Tesla and BYD rival Lucid plans to expand affordable electric car range but will it choose an MG Cyberster or Ford Bronco Sport competitor? Report

American electric car specialist Lucid is gearing up to take on Tesla at its own game. 

The start-up has confirmed one more affordable mid-size SUV, priced from about US$50,000 (A$74,000), is on the way for 2026.

There are two more mystery models in Lucid’s ‘mid-size’ plan according to a new report from CarBuzz, which spoke to Lucid Lucid Motors Senior Vice-President of Design and Brand Derek Jenkins.

Lucid has not announced what kind of model it is developing yet beyond that it is definitely not going to be a station wagon.

Instead, the two hats in the ring seem to be a dedicated sports car or a more hardcore off-road model. Regardless, Lucid knows to make inroads against Tesla “you have to do that by blowing people away and alleviating any fear or doubt that they have in their mind about going to EV," said Jenkins.

"The off-road space is going to continue to morph and evolve,” Jenkins told Carbuzz. “You're going to have products that are trying to cater to the fringe of off-roading, like rock crawling, and then you have your normal crossover products." 

2025 Ford Bronco Sport Sasqatch

Undertaking a fully-fledged off-roader to challenge the Toyota LandCruiser doesn’t seem like Lucid’s bag. It has explored a small pick-up truck, a Ford Maverick rival if you like, however Jenkins’ words hint more at a Ford Bronco Sport-type vehicle that matches some extra off-road capability with the comfort of a monocoque SUV. 

"You get the benefit of something that is ever so slightly sleeker and ever so slightly car-like to get the efficiency, both the space and the aero efficiency, but you ruggedize it to give you a little bit more of that robustness and durability,” Jenkins said. 

The other reported avenue is a sports car, a true coupe or convertible. Adding fuel to this is that Lucid partnered with Aston Martin last year. Could an MX-5 and GR86-rivalling EV sports car be on the way? It seems unlikely that would be the case, certainly in the marque’s next stage of affordable expansion. 

2025 Lucid Air Sapphire

Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson has previously announced an affordable Tesla Model Y rival and the general consensus is it will be partnered with a mid-size sedan to compete with the Tesla Model 3 and BYD Seal competitor. 

This also means the mystery third mid-size model Jenkins mentioned could be a Sapphire version — Lucid’s answer to Tesla Performance and BMW M — of the upcoming mid-size sedan. 

"It's not going to be as quick as Air, but it's going to be impressive, and it's going to be at a value that many more people can access,” Jenkins told CarBuzz of the new mid-size platform. “The whole idea is to take our technology and hit a wider swathe of consumers and accelerate that transition. We're creating a range of personalities around that program.”

2026 Lucid Gravity

Headquartered in California, Lucid only sells one model, the Air. It’s sold exclusively in the United States where it’s priced from US$71,400 to directly target the Tesla Model S. It is the most efficient in its class and can travel 676km from a single charge, or develop up to 920kW in flagship Sapphire guise. 

Lucid is still a minnow in global EV sales. It aims to sell just 9000 Air sedans in the US by the end of this year. The company is majority owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) which announced a US$1.5 billion funding boost last week.

2026 Lucid Gravity

This is to aid Lucid in producing its new Gravity SUV that will be built in Saudi Arabia. ‘AMP-2 factory’. The Gravity SUV is expected to boost sales and profits, with the company targeting production of 150,000 units each year. 

The electric car specialist has announced no further plans to launch in Australia. It’s understood Lucid is waiting for these smaller models before gearing up, with a local presence expected towards the end of the decade.