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Lucid Air BEV to challenge Tesla Model S


Gurgeh

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"Silicon Valley-based Lucid Motors, one of several electric vehicle start-ups hoping to become the next Tesla, revealed an electric car capable of going up to 517 miles on a single charge. That means you could drive from New Orleans to Nashville, from Washington, D.C. to Indianapolis., or from Chicago to Lincoln, Nebraska, without having to charge up.

 

"Lucid Motors on Wednesday debuted the production model of the Lucid Air, a slickly designed mid-size sedan boasting many of the same features as Tesla’s ultra-luxury Model S. Lucid CEO and Chief Technical Officer Peter Rawlinson, who previously served as chief engineer for the Model S, said the production will begin in early 2021 at the company’s plant in Arizona. Pilot production has already begun, he said. Lucid developed a proprietary electric motor, electricity inverter and stackable battery pack system based on its expertise in developing batteries for Formula E racecars.

 

" 'What we've got is a breakthrough in electric cars,' Rawlinson said. 'Lucid is going to change the world.' "

 

[comment: But wait until you see the costs.]

 

"The base model, called the Lucid Air, will start at 'below $80,000' with unspecified range and engine output. The Lucid Air Touring model will start at $95,000 with range of 406 miles and 620 horsepower. The Air Grand Touring will start at $139,000 with range of 517 miles and 800 horsepower. A limited-edition performance model called the Lucid Air Dream Edition will start at $169,000 with range of 465 or 503 miles depending on wheel size and 1,080 horsepower..."

 

[comment: Ouch! ...and it's a sedan. But thankfully my taxes will help subsidize its sale.]

 

"Much like other electric vehicle startups – such as Nikola, Rivian, Bollinger Motors and Lordstown Motors – perhaps the biggest obstacle for Lucid is whether it can manufacture the vehicle efficiently and obtain the financing necessary to survive in the extremely competitive automotive industry. Financing is taken care of for now. In 2019, Lucid obtained a $1 billion investment from the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia...

 

"[Rawlinson] said the company’s goal is to make 34,000 vehicles per year once it completes its first phase of ramp-up, with plans to get up to 400,000 per year within six years."

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2020/09/09/lucid-air-lucid-motors-electric-car/5748925002/

Edited by Gurgeh
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Still trying to figure out who can afford 400K 80k plus cars 

 

Mercedes is the biggest luxury car maker in the world, and they sell abou 2.5 million units a year-and they sell commercial products that aren't considered luxury vehicles. It takes the combination of Jaguar and Range Rover to sell just over 400K

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17 minutes ago, silvrsvt said:

Still trying to figure out who can afford 400K 80k plus cars 

 

Mercedes is the biggest luxury car maker in the world, and they sell abou 2.5 million units a year-and they sell commercial products that aren't considered luxury vehicles. It takes the combination of Jaguar and Range Rover to sell just over 400K

 

...and sedans too. Jaguar is increasingly selling crossovers and Land Rover has always been exclusively in the SUV/crossover space.

 

I assume that like Tesla, Lucid plans to broaden its product mix, but that is likely to take a few years.

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On 9/10/2020 at 6:01 AM, 92merc said:

That has a interesting "trunk" out back.  It almost looks like a hatch.

 

Early prototype showed it is a hatchback. Not sure if the production model has kept it... there was no close up photos of the rear trunk opening of the production model that I can find.

 

Lucid-Motors-Sedan-rear-three-quarter.jp

 

7.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=1000

 

On 9/10/2020 at 7:00 AM, Gurgeh said:

 

...and sedans too. Jaguar is increasingly selling crossovers and Land Rover has always been exclusively in the SUV/crossover space.

 

I assume that like Tesla, Lucid plans to broaden its product mix, but that is likely to take a few years.

 

A SUV call Lucid Gravity is coming a year later. 

 

I'm sure smaller car and SUV are also in the works.

 

 

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On 9/24/2020 at 2:15 PM, J-150 said:

All of these  startups are great. Too bad none of them, including Tesla, have figured out manufacturing and supply chain.

 

Rivian is having very tough time ramping up production. They recently got up to almost 2 vehicles/day after many weeks. At this rate, meeting the 40,000 orders will take years. Don't know how it's going for Lucid....doubt if it's good. Launches are very difficult, especially for startups. 

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Motor Trend just tested Lucid Air Grand Touring. This version is 1 tier down from the high end Dream Edition. Price as tested was $139,000. 2022 Lucid Air Grand Touring First Test: An Impressive Rethink of the Luxury Sedan (motortrend.com)

 

"The 2022 Lucid Air may be pricey, but for those shopping for an executive luxury sedan, it's worth it. The Air is not just the most compelling American luxury car in recent memory, it's also an impressive rethink of what a luxury sedan should be."

 

2022-Lucid-Air-Grand-Touring-75.jpg

2022-Lucid-Air-Grand-Touring-74.jpg

2022-Lucid-Air-Grand-Touring-87.jpg

 

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Lucid Air won Motor Trend Car of the Year 2022. The Lucid Air Is the 2022 MotorTrend Car of the Year

 

The Lucid Air did not instantly win all of our hearts. Many judges expressed dire concern that if Lucid fails to rectify the many wonky quirks our prototype suffered, the brand and car could go down in history as a 21st century Tucker or Chevy Vega. Some older judges assuaged these fears by highlighting the many similarities between this car and company and the Tesla we awarded in 2013. In the long run, we believe electric vehicles are the way forward for cars and mobility, and the way forward for electric vehicles is continuous improvement of electric batteries, motors, and charging. That's why the great looking, strong performing, tech-leapfrogging Lucid Air is MotorTrend's 2022 Car of the Year.

 

Lucid-Air-With-2022-MotorTrend-Car-of-th

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The Lucid Air did not instantly win all of our hearts. Many judges expressed dire concern that if Lucid fails to rectify the many wonky quirks our prototype suffered, the brand and car could go down in history as a 21st century Tucker or Chevy Vega.

 

They ding on the Vega, but in 1971, it too shared the <ahem> "coveted" COTY award from Motor Trend...

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