RPM News Weekly

Commentary:

Our friends at the New York International Auto Show have announced that EV startup Lucid Motors will debut the production-ready Lucid Air mid-size electric sedan in New York City this spring.

We had an opportunity to check out two Lucid Air concepts at the 2017 NYIAS, one dressed in normal street trim, the other a track-focused, rolling-test bed dubbed the Lucid Air Alpha that was used to shakedown the upcoming vehicle’s powertrain in cold-weather and performance tests.

While undergoing high-speed testing at the Transportation Research Center in Ohio, the Lucid Air Alpha ultimately set a 235 mile-per-hour benchmark. Of course, this was an unrestricted, track-ready car with no interior – we’re confident the production version won’t have the same top speed. But it does show the potential performance capabilities of the model’s powertrain.

In December 2019, Lucid began construction of its first production facility located in Casa Grande, Arizona. The factory is scheduled for completion in late 2020 with production possibly starting at the end of the year, or in early 2021.

With the construction of their production facility underway, Lucid announced on January 22, 2020 that they have begun accepting reservations for the Lucid Air in select European countries.

“This is an exciting time for Lucid. We’ve been moving at an incredible pace, with the completion of our factory and the first production Airs expected in late 2020,” said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO, Lucid Motors. “With deliveries in Europe expected just a year from those milestones, we felt the time was right to open up reservations in a region that has truly embraced the core tenets of environmentally-friendly transportation, and one that we expect will be a major market for Lucid.”

Residents in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland will be able to place a reservation equivalent to $1000 USD.

Further expansion into Europe is expected, including a right-hand-drive model for the UK. According to the company’s website, specific markets were selected due to a combination of charging infrastructure and market acceptance and size.

We’re not sure if Lucid may have missed its intended market by launching an all-electric EV sedan at a time when CUVs and SUVs are all the rage.

While sales of the groundbreaking Tesla Model S sedan – arguably the Lucid Air’s closest competitor at launch – have been dropping steadily over the years, sales of Tesla’s latest and lowest priced entry, the Tesla Model 3 sedan, have been skyrocketing. But, as the Model S did when the Model 3 arrived, Tesla’s youngest sedan will be facing competition from within its own family with the upcoming Model Y SUV.

It remains to be seen whether the Model Y will steal sales from the Model 3, or attract SUV buyers from other brands.

I’m guessing that Lucid has a crossover version in the planning stages somewhere, and that’s the beauty of a purpose-built, all-electric vehicle platform. Once they have the first vehicle / platform design locked down, it’s not too difficult to adapt it to fit other body styles.

When designing the Model Y, Telsa used the Model 3 as a starting point. This makes good business sense. Not only does it cut costs, it also cuts down on development time.

Speaking of developments, we’ll keep an eye on Lucid and the Lucid Air as more information becomes available. Until then, we look forward to seeing the production version this spring at the 2020 New York International Auto Show.

If you’re an EV fan and plan on checking out the Lucid Air in person, the NYIAS runs from April 10th through the 19th. In the meantime, check out our coverage of the Lucid Air debut at the 2017 New York International Autoshow.

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