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Lucid's Manufacturing Issues May Get Worse With Vice President Leaving the Company

If legacy automakers are having a hard time with the supply chain crisis, you can imagine newcomers are in even deeper… problems. Rivian had some issues right at the beginning but seems to be doing better now. We cannot say the same about Lucid, which cut its production targets for 2022. In Lucid’s case, it seems the supply chain crisis is not enough to explain the problems: the company’s vice president of global manufacturing is no longer there.
Lucid's vice president of global manufacturing is no longer with the company 9 photos
Photo: Lucid
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According to Business Insider, Peter Hochholdinger recently left the company with five other high-level manufacturing executives. In other words, Lucid also faced a massive shake-up in that department. What we may never discover is if Hochholdinger was invited to leave and to take the people he hired with him or if he was just fed up and decided it was enough, with his team following him in that decision.

The news could not arrive in worse times for Lucid. The company revealed the Air Sapphire, its tri-motor electric sedan. Although it is costly, it will face some demand. On Labor Day, Lucid shared some pictures of the Air Pure or Air Touring, which will have an entire aluminum roof instead of the glass roof that more expensive derivatives present.

The Pure version of the electric sedan will cost $87,400. It is not exactly affordable, but it is the less expensive car Lucid will sell for a while. The next model the company will present is the Gravity, an SUV that will undoubtedly cost more than the Air. If Lucid already has 37,000 reservations for its vehicles, the start of deliveries for the Air Pure and Touring will only worsen that.

To be clear, the company is already accepting reservations for these two derivatives. However, most people prefer only to make a deposit when the vehicle they want is genuinely available. Those who reserved the Tesla Model 3 in India and the Roadster and Cybertruck in the U.S. are the best example of why that is a wise decision: Indian customers are still fighting to get their money back from Tesla.

Lucid first disclosed it should deliver 20,000 vehicles in 2022. It has reduced this target twice so far and believes the actual number will be between 6,000 and 7,000 units this year. Without Hochholdinger, it will be interesting to see if the EV startup beats that prediction or falls short until December 31. Lucid should address these issues soon to try to reassure its investors.
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About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
Gustavo Henrique Ruffo profile photo

Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
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