Lucid’s $50,000 Tesla Challenger Below Growth, CEO Suggests

Should you inform me proper now that California-headquartered Lucid plans to change into a mass-market electrical car producer, I’d urge skepticism. Up to now, Lucid’s story has been fairly the alternative.

The Air electrical sedan has a beginning worth upwards of $80,000 earlier than tax credit and the Air Sapphire—sure that Bugatti Chiron shaming rocketship—has an MSRP of a whopping $249,000. The upcoming Gravity SUV gained’t be low-cost, both. However CEO Peter Rawlinson has indicated that Lucid’s aspirations lengthen past the 2 EVs seen to this point.

Getting a brand new automobile firm up and working is a frightening job, even when you have some severe investor help like Lucid does. Sometimes, startups lean on high-profit margin luxurious EVs to make a mark earlier than diving into extra inexpensive, mass-market vehicles to widen their attraction.

“The mid-sized [EV] goes to be overtly a Tesla competitor—Mannequin 3, Mannequin Y. That is the primary time I’ve ever stated it: we’re going to compete in that market—high-volume household automobile,” Rawlinson instructed U.Okay.-based Autocar.

He added that the following mannequin line-up would slot within the $50,000 house, which is nearer to the present stock costs of the Tesla Mannequin Y. The Mannequin 3, however, can promote at effectively beneath $30,000 when federal and state-level tax credit are utilized.

One of many few issues Tesla struggled early on with the Mannequin 3 and Mannequin Y line-up was high quality blemishes. Minor match and end inconsistencies and panel gaps have been extensively reported. Lucid might be taught from Tesla’s expertise and convey tighter high quality management for its upcoming fashions to face aside proper from the get-go.

One other space it might have an higher hand is vary—the Air Grand Touring is already the longest-range EPA-certified electrical automobile within the U.S. with over 500 miles of vary. Positive, the smaller vehicles may have a smaller battery, however Lucid might financial institution on its experience as a former battery firm and goal segment-leading vary figures—everyone knows that vary is usually a dealbreaker.

That’s just about all we find out about Lucid’s future line-up to this point. What do you consider Lucid’s plans? Depart your ideas within the feedback under.