Photo: Lucid | Edited
Saudi-owned Lucid manufactures just one vehicle at its Casa Grande, Arizona plant. It's the all-electric Air sedan. Sadly, it seems like not many people are willing to overlook the EV tax credit and the perks of a high-riding vehicle. Here's what's going on.
Lucid decided that it does not need any new reservations for custom vehicles. We paid its configurator a visit after seeing the snazzy teal Air sedan that's the official shuttle of Saudi Arabia's newest airport. When we tried to configure an Air, the only option shown to us was pressing the "Similar Cars Available" button.
When writing, the configurator allows anyone to look at the four most important trims: Pure, Touring, Grand Touring, and Sapphire. Select your favorite, and then the only other things that can be done are exploring colors, choosing the preferred roof, and deciding if the "Stealth" appearance is worth $6,000.
That's it. That is where speccing stops. The configurator doesn't allow those curious to see what else can be added or removed.
The only two options are to look at inventory units or place a pricey reservation for the Air Sapphire, a three-motor tire-shredding monster that puts out up to 1,234 hp when everything is set to the max.
If you visit the configurator thinking about buying any other version of the Lucid Air, then you're stuck with picking an inventory unit. That's not something we expected. September should have been the month that brought us an even cheaper Air – the rear-wheel-drive Pure. But it looks like it won't happen in Q3.
We selected the Lucid Air Touring finished in Zenith Red Metallic with the panoramic glass roof and the darkened-out trim that cost $10,000. The configurator suggested 12 sedans that matched at least 50% of our desired spec. The closest one was a 2023 Air Touring without the Stealth finish riding on 20-inch Aero Lite wheels.
But that's not all. If the suggestions aren't to your liking, an entirely new platform allows anyone to search for an existing Air that might suit their preferences. Ordering an individualized Lucid sedan is out of the question for the time being. So, if you want one that someone else hasn't used, the inventory search is your best shot.
The good news is that some units can be delivered in a couple of days or two weeks tops. That's a factor that can change based on the customer's location.
Could this be a possible sign of trouble or just an attempt to round up the delivery numbers before the third quarter of 2023 ends? We'll let you decide. But do keep in mind that the Q2 results did not look good at all, and that Air prices have been recently reduced.
Finally, Lucid is expected to debut the Gravity SUV in November. That all-electric vehicle could help the company improve its financial situation.
When writing, the configurator allows anyone to look at the four most important trims: Pure, Touring, Grand Touring, and Sapphire. Select your favorite, and then the only other things that can be done are exploring colors, choosing the preferred roof, and deciding if the "Stealth" appearance is worth $6,000.
That's it. That is where speccing stops. The configurator doesn't allow those curious to see what else can be added or removed.
The only two options are to look at inventory units or place a pricey reservation for the Air Sapphire, a three-motor tire-shredding monster that puts out up to 1,234 hp when everything is set to the max.
If you visit the configurator thinking about buying any other version of the Lucid Air, then you're stuck with picking an inventory unit. That's not something we expected. September should have been the month that brought us an even cheaper Air – the rear-wheel-drive Pure. But it looks like it won't happen in Q3.
We selected the Lucid Air Touring finished in Zenith Red Metallic with the panoramic glass roof and the darkened-out trim that cost $10,000. The configurator suggested 12 sedans that matched at least 50% of our desired spec. The closest one was a 2023 Air Touring without the Stealth finish riding on 20-inch Aero Lite wheels.
But that's not all. If the suggestions aren't to your liking, an entirely new platform allows anyone to search for an existing Air that might suit their preferences. Ordering an individualized Lucid sedan is out of the question for the time being. So, if you want one that someone else hasn't used, the inventory search is your best shot.
The good news is that some units can be delivered in a couple of days or two weeks tops. That's a factor that can change based on the customer's location.
Could this be a possible sign of trouble or just an attempt to round up the delivery numbers before the third quarter of 2023 ends? We'll let you decide. But do keep in mind that the Q2 results did not look good at all, and that Air prices have been recently reduced.
Finally, Lucid is expected to debut the Gravity SUV in November. That all-electric vehicle could help the company improve its financial situation.
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