Lucid Air retails for a price that puts it firmly in the Porsche Taycan territory. Considering Lucid only started manufacturing cars, many wonders if the build quality is so high to justify the steep price it asks for the Air. The retailers at Chicago Auto Pros offer the answer.
The automotive business is so hard that it was thought impossible for new companies to succeed in the market. Tesla was the only exception, but its success prompted a host of startups to try and crack automotive manufacturing. Not that Tesla fully cracked it, as many quality problems on Tesla models showed time and again.
Lucid is one of the new-wave EV makers that has recently started its first deliveries. Although it had difficulties ramping up production, the startup is confident enough to ask $139,000 for its first car, the Air luxury sedan. But even though such a price may reflect Lucid’s efforts in putting the car together, it doesn’t automatically mean that it reflects the true build quality. People want to see how good this is on the Lucid Air, and the detailers at Chicago Auto Pros obliged.
Of course, it’s good when a trained eye takes a good look at the car since most owners will disregard minor imperfections as long as they don’t affect the daily use. The Lucid Air Grand Touring that they analyzed is the cheapest trim at $139,000, with the Grand Touring performance retailing for $179,000. Both feature neck-breaking acceleration and impressive electric range, although the latter is more geared towards performance driving.
If you watch the video below (which you should, seriously), you’ll see that the Air is well put together, although not that $139k good. The team at Chicago Auto Pros praised the interior quality but discovered some flaws with the paint job and the body panel alignment. Specifically, the soft paint is prone to scratches, and a seal above one of the wheel arches wasn’t fully secured. Several trim pieces also appeared to be loose, while some panel gaps don’t live up to the expectations at this price level.
Considering Lucid is a very young automaker, it was kind of expected that the build quality was not spotless. The Air is actually well-built, considering the limited manufacturing experience Lucid has. The level of attention to detail is certainly impressive, and we expect the quality to improve as more Air sedans are produced.
After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions. Full profile
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