Model Y and R2 Rival Revealed In Patent Images

Lucid Cosmos patent images reveal a midsize SUV with a Gravity-like silhouette.
Its the automaker's first mass market model, with a starting price of around $50,000.
The Cosmos will enter production by the end of this year.

Lucid is gearing up to launch its much-needed rival to the Tesla Model Y and Rivian R2 by the end of this year. Christened the Cosmos, the roughly $50,000 midsize crossover will be the electric automaker's first model with the potential for mass appeal.

The California startup has earned a reputation for the exceptional performance and packaging of its Air sedan and the Gravity SUV. As it looks to become profitable after years of burning cash, it will need its upcoming mass-market crossover to succeed. Just as the Model 3 and Model Y catapulted Tesla into the mainstream, Lucid and Rivian are placing similar bets on the Cosmos and R2, respectively.

Now for the first time, publicly available patent images give us an idea of what the Cosmos looks like.

Source: EUIPO

As Autoweek first reported, Lucid has registered a new car design with the European Union Intellectual Property Office. The automaker made the filing under the name Atieva Inc., which its older name. The filing doesn't mention the name Cosmos, but I can confirm that this looks like the exact car Lucid brought to Investor Day in New York City early this year. I got a look at an early Cosmos behind closed doors. Photography wasn't allowed at the event, but I was allowed to discuss what I saw.

The Cosmos looks like a shrunken Gravity with a cab-forward design and a large Lucid emblem plastered on the nose, much larger than the one on the Gravity and the Air. It looked pretty stunning in person, with a sculpted, aggressive design. The rear may not suit everyone's taste. The roof is sharply raked, and a spoiler cuts across the rear glass, which is why there's a digital rearview camera for better rear visibility.

Lucid Cosmos Patent Images

Photo by: EUIPO

"Lucid" is also spelled out in large letters across the back, and the rear bumper and diffuser are equally bold. Design is highly subjective, and I prefer the R2 and Model Y because of their cleaner, more understated look. The Cosmos, on the other hand, is trying to be much sportier, like the Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron.

Lucid said at the time that a focus on aerodynamics would help the Cosmos achieve a 0.22 drag coefficient and a projected range of over 300 miles.

It will also out-spec its rivals in terms of charging speeds. Its 800-volt architecture will allow adding 200 miles of range in just 14 minutes of charging. And it will support things like vehicle-to-home (V2H) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) bidirectional charging.

Photo by: EUIPO

Its interior will also be a big departure from the Air and the Gravity. Instead of the curved displays and multiple screens on those EVs, the Cosmos will get a single large screen spanning the dashboard.

Lucid said the new screen layout will better support its autonomy ambitions; EVs on the midsize platform will also roll out as robotaxis as a part of the automaker’s partnership with Uber.

Photo by: Suvrat Kothari

Initial production of the Cosmos will begin in Saudi Arabia by the end of this year, and early production batches will head to the U.S. Six to 12 months after the start of production, Lucid plans to start building the crossover at its Arizona factory, where most U.S. market cars will be built in the long term.

Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com