Upstart EV Maker Lucid Breaks Ground on Arizona Plant

A substantial car with a name that implies nothingness will soon have a home.

Lucid Motors, which positioned its vastly powerful Air sedan near the front doors of the 2017 New York International Auto Show, has broken ground on an assembly plant in Casa Grande, Arizona. With suppliers lined up and braintrust in place, all Lucid lacked was a plant — and, for a considerable time, the cash to pull it all off.

Thank the Saudis for riding to the rescue with a check.

Earlier this year, Lucid tapped Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund for $1 billion in funding, allowing it to move forward with its $700 million Arizona facility. As reported by Autocar, final approval came last month, with the fledgling automaker agreeing to lease some 500 acres from the county for $1.8 million per year. The company can buy the site after five years.

Once geared up, the facility, which only occupies 1.8 acres of the site, will employ 2,000 people, Lucid claims. The first Airs are expected to leave the plant by the end of next year.

As things finally begin progressing on the ground, the Air remains a yet-unattainable dream for those in the market for a truly high-end sedan. Cited as having 400 miles of range and up to 1,000 horsepower, Lucid’s first product (an SUV is rumored to be under development) makes no effort to bring electric driving to the toiling masses. This is a car for people who want nice things, and that’s okay.

Boasting twin motors, all-wheel drive, and a spacious cabin, the Air is both a statement and status symbol. In top-spec form, the Air is said to reach 60 mph in 2.5 seconds; a prototype reached 235 mph during early testing. Lesser variants will remove a motor, bringing the Air’s output to a more affordable 400 hp. The model starts around $60,000.

In April, Lucid swore in Chief Technical Officer Peter Rawlinson, formerly of Tesla, Lotus, and Jaguar, as its CEO.

“Lucid has the product vision, the core in-house technology, and the depth of talent to realize this potential,” Rawlinson said at the time. “Working collaboratively, our outstanding team will create landmark future products, commencing with Lucid Air in 2020.”

[Image: Lucid Motors]