American EV maker Lucid will launch within the UK throughout the subsequent two years earlier than increasing its vary with an reasonably priced mid-sized mannequin line to rival the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.

Lucid launched the Air saloon in 2021 and earlier this month revealed its long-awaited SUV sibling, the Gravity, that are each priced from round $80,000 (£64,000) and aimed on the luxurious finish of the market.

But the following mannequin line to be launched will take the model boldly into extra mainstream territory, with CEO Peter Rawlinson suggesting to Autocar a beginning worth of “about $50,000” (£40,000) and laying naked his ambition to drastically improve Lucid’s gross sales volumes.

“We have to go with volume, because that’s what we’re about,” he mentioned, explaining that Lucid needed to launch the high-end Air and Gravity first due to the prices concerned in establishing a brand new automotive firm.

Details of what to anticipate from the following Lucid stay underneath wraps, however Rawlinson did recommend that it could seem a lot sooner than has beforehand been reported.

He mentioned: “I’ve formally stated mid-late decade, and that has been completely misquoted as the end of the decade – 2030. What I mean is ‘not 2025’. It’s a few years away, but it’s close. It takes three and a half years to do a car, and we’ve started… and that wasn’t yesterday.”

Rawlinson – who beforehand led growth of the Tesla Model S whereas serving as chief engineer on the pioneering EV maker – additionally revealed to Autocar that the brand new merchandise are designed to tackle his former employer.

He mentioned: “The mid-sized [line] goes to be overtly a Tesla competitor – Model 3, Model Y. This is the primary time I’ve ever mentioned it: we’re going to compete in that market – high-volume family car.

“And how can we compete? Because we’ve got the most advanced technology, which means we can go farther with less battery, and the battery is the most high-cost item of an electric car. So if you can go a certain distance with less battery, you can make that car more cheaply than anyone else.”