Lucid Motors is going through its own form of “production hell” with the startup delivering just 679 vehicles in the second quarter of this year. The firm’s CEO, former Tesla engineer Peter Rawlinson, is now spending the majority of his time at Lucid’s Arizona plant as opposed to the company’s Palo Alto HQ. Speaking on an earnings call last week, Rawlinson stated the following:
“I’ve been spending the vast majority of my time here, right here on the shop floor. And I believe it’s my responsibility as a CEO to be here resolving issues and helping to onboard new executives.”
Lucid’s first vehicle, the Air sedan, entered production in September 2021. However, just 1,164 units have been delivered since then. Lucid’s production struggles resulted in Tesla CEO Elon Musk throwing shade at his former employee’s startup.
Last year, Lucid predicted that it would make 20,000 cars in 2022. In February that estimate was cut back to 12,000 to 14,000 vehicles. Now, the company has set a production goal of between 6,000 and 7,000 vehicles for 2022.
The launch version of the Lucid Air, the $169,000 Dream Edition, is no longer available. Currently, the firm is delivering one Air variant – the $154,000 Grand Touring. The Grand Touring has up to 1,050 hp and a 516-mile EPA range. It will be followed by the $125,900 Touring and the $92,400 Pure in Q4 2022, both of which have projected ranges of 406 miles.
Lucid’s next vehicle will be the Gravity, a full-sized luxury SUV set to arrive in 2024. It promises seating for seven, an innovative interior space, and “unimaginable performance”.
