Who is Lucid Motors? Meet the upstart brand vying to take the EV crown

Meet Lucid Motors: The luxury electric brand still chasing the EV dream

TL;DR: Who is Lucid Motors?

Lucid Motors is an American luxury electric vehicle brand, majority owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. 

Founded in 2007 as Atieva, it rebranded as Lucid Motors in 2016 with ambitions to build the world's most advanced electric cars. 

Its current lineup consists of the Air saloon and the Gravity SUV, with two mid-size models — the Cosmos and the Earth — due later in 2026. 

A UK launch is expected from 2027, tied to the arrival of those mid-size models.

Can Lucid Motors make a big splash in the UK EV scene?

Lucid Motors entered the car scene back in 2016 with its goals set high: The top of the luxury car tree. But it was arriving at a time when Tesla already had the luxury EV market sewn up, and a growing list of challengers were lining up to take a shot.

With former Tesla VP Peter Rawlinson at the helm (the so-called father of the Tesla Model S) Lucid had the pedigree to back up its ambitions. 

The Lucid Air was its opening statement. A genuine rival to the Model S, with S-Class interior space, a claimed range of over 500 miles, and a price tag to match its lofty positioning.

Years later, Lucid is still chasing the dream. 

It's expanded into Europe, launched a second model in the Gravity SUV, and has a pair of mid-size SUVs on the horizon that could finally bring it to UK shores. 

It's a tale as old as time. Well, as old as Tesla — the original disrupter being challenged by the very upstarts it inspired.

So, where does Lucid stand today, and is the dream still alive?

The history of Lucid Motors

Lucid's story actually starts long before the first car rolled off the production line. 

Founded in 2007 under the name Atieva, the company spent its early years focused on EV battery technology — most notably supplying batteries to Formula E race cars.

It wasn't until 2016 that Atieva rebranded as Lucid Motors and announced its intention to build a high-performance luxury electric car. Three years later, in 2019, it broke ground on its factory in Casa Grande, Arizona; the first purpose-built EV manufacturing facility in North America.

Their first car, the Lucid Air, reached customers in 2021, with a European expansion following in 2022 across Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Norway. 

In 2025, Lucid added a second model to its lineup with the Gravity: A three-row luxury SUV that is now making its way into European markets and has been tapped by Uber as the basis for a large-scale robotaxi fleet.

Off the road, the business has been moving just as fast. 

Lucid is majority owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, with Uber joining as a significant shareholder in 2026 with an 11.5% stake following a $500 million investment. A new CEO was also named in April 2026 alongside a funding raise of over $1 billion.

March 2026 brought the reveal of two mid-size SUVs,the Cosmos and the Earth. Both will have a starting price under $50,000, and they’re due to enter production later this year. They're also the models Lucid has earmarked for its UK launch, which is expected from 2027.

Production targets for 2026 sit at 25,000 to 27,000 vehicles, a 40 to 50% increase on the year prior.

What's in the Lucid Motors lineup?

Lucid currently makes two cars — the Air and the Gravity — with two more on the way.

The Lucid Air

The Air is where Lucid made its name. 

A luxury electric saloon with a sleek nose, hidden headlights, and a panoramic glass roof, it was built to go toe to toe with the Tesla Model S, and then some. 

The Grand Touring variant offers up to 512 miles of range (WLTP Comb), making it the most efficient EV on sale in the US and the holder of the Guinness World Record for the longest distance travelled on a single charge. 

Inside, it's minimalist but unmistakably premium, with a digital instrument cluster, a large portrait touchscreen, and — in a refreshing break from modern EV convention — actual physical buttons for climate control. It starts from $70,900.

The Lucid Gravity

The Gravity is Lucid's second act, and it's a bold one. 

A three-row luxury electric SUV with seating for up to seven, up to 828hp, and a 0–60mph time of 3.4 seconds. It makes most performance SUVs look like they're not trying. 

Range tops out at 450 miles (WLTP Comb), and it was named 2026 World Luxury Car of the Year. It's available now in the US and currently launching across Europe, starting from $79,900.

What's coming from Lucid?

Two mid-size SUVs are due later in 2026 — the Cosmos and the Earth. 

Both start under $50,000, putting Lucid within reach of a much broader audience. 

The Cosmos is set to take on the Tesla Model Y as a conventional premium SUV, while the Earth goes after the more adventurous end of the market. 

They're also the models earmarked for Lucid's long-awaited UK launch, expected from 2027.

Are Lucid cars available in the UK?

Not yet. But it's looking more likely than ever.

Lucid has confirmed its plans to launch in the UK, with Lawrence Hamilton, president of Lucid Europe, describing it as "a really strong opportunity." 

The hold-up isn't ambition though, it's product. 

Lucid wants to arrive with the right car, and that car is mid-size. The Cosmos and Earth, both due to enter production later in 2026, are the models earmarked for right-hand-drive markets, with a UK launch expected from 2027.

The Gravity has been floated as a possibility, but given it's a large, expensive, left-hand-drive model, the business case to make it right-hand drive looks unlikely. The Air is in a similar position.

In the meantime, Lucid has been quietly building out its European presence; currently operating in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Norway, with plans to expand to 11 European countries by the end of 2026 and 18 by 2027. 

The UK is in that second wave.

Hamilton has been clear that when Lucid does come to the UK, it wants to get it right first time. In his words: "There's no point launching in a market and then having to withdraw… The market doesn't like that, customers don't like that, residual values don't, and neither do the banks."

So not yet. But 2027 is looking like a real target.

Is Lucid really struggling?

Not exactly. Though it's easy to see why the question gets asked.

Yes, Lucid is a small operation by automotive standards. In 2025 it sold fewer than 350 cars across Europe, its stock has had a turbulent ride, and scaling up production has proved harder than initially projected. 

On paper, that can look like a brand in trouble.

But zoom out and a different picture emerges. 

Lucid produced around 18,000 vehicles in 2025 and is targeting 25,000 to 27,000 in 2026 — a 40 to 50% increase year on year. 

The Gravity launched to strong demand, selling out of its initial inventory within days. Uber has poured $500 million into the business and now holds an 11.5% stake, with plans to deploy tens of thousands of Gravity robotaxis. 

A new CEO was named in April 2026 alongside a funding raise of over $1 billion.

The Air, meanwhile, remains the most efficient EV in the US and the best-selling luxury electric saloon in the country. That’s not bad for a brand still finding its feet globally.

What looks like caution is largely deliberate. 

Lucid has been clear that it would rather get each market entry right than move fast and course-correct publicly. 

The UK is a prime example. It could have launched already, but it's waiting for the right product. 

That's not a brand struggling. That's a brand being careful.

So, is Lucid worth the wait?

For UK buyers, that's still the central question — and the honest answer is that it's looking increasingly like yes.

Lucid arrived late to a crowded market, and it hasn't had an easy ride. But the engineering credentials are genuine, the products are impressive, and the business is growing. 

The Air remains the most efficient EV on sale in the US. 

The Gravity has turned heads and sold out. And with the Cosmos and Earth due later in 2026, a UK launch from 2027 is starting to look like a real prospect rather than a distant promise.

The EV landscape is richer and more competitive than ever.

BYD has become a global force, Polestar continues to push boundaries, and traditional brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz are delivering electric alternatives that would have been unthinkable a decade ago.

Lucid has to earn its place in that market, and it knows it.