Regardless of admitting “the market is hard,” Lucid Motor’s (LCID) CEO Peter Rawlinson mentioned the posh EV maker is outpacing its rivals.
With practically 2,800 autos delivered in Q3, Lucid broke its quarterly document for the third consecutive time this yr.
Though deliveries are choosing up, manufacturing at its Casa Grande, Arizona plant is slipping. Lucid constructed 1,805 EVs over the past three months, down from 2,110 in Q2.
Two years in the past, Lucid anticipated to construct 90,000 autos in 2024. Now, its manufacturing goal is 9,000 for the yr, which means Lucid might want to make one other 3,359 autos within the fourth quarter to hit its objective.
“The market is hard,” Rawlinson instructed Semafor’s Liz Hoffman. Nevertheless, he added, “the precise gross sales numbers of EVs are rising.”
Rawlinson defined, “It’s simply that the speed of enhance was not what we anticipated. It’s like saying there’s inflation, however the price of inflation is much less.”
Lucid continues to be outpacing many luxurious rivals
Regardless of the decrease outlook, Lucid continues to be outpacing a lot of its luxurious rivals. Rawlinson mentioned consumers have been “ill-served by underwhelming choices from conventional automakers that haven’t gone all-in on electrical.”
Lucid’s CEO says these firms have “not been capable of as a result of they’ve not bought the know-how, they usually’ve not bought the long-term dedication.”
Rawlinson boasted, “We’re outselling the Mercedes EQS. We’re outselling the Porsche Taycan. We’re outselling the [Audi] eTron. We’re out promoting BMW Ice.” In some markets, Lucid’s Air is even outselling the Tesla Mannequin S.
In line with Cox Automotive, Lucid offered 5,766 Air fashions within the US by way of September, up 35% from final yr. That’s greater than the Audi e-tron (2,066) and Porsche Taycan (4,072).
Lucid plans to start constructing its first electrical SUV, the Gravity, later this yr that’s anticipated to enormously broaden its market. In line with Lucid, the Gravity will begin at underneath $80,000 with over 440 miles vary.
Forward of its debut, Lucid introduced plans to promote 262.4 million shares of frequent inventory by way of a brand new public providing.
Final month, Lucid teased its new midsize electrical SUV. It will likely be the primary of Lucid’s lower-priced midsize fashions, beginning at underneath $50,000.
Electrek’s Take
Regardless of some media headlines claiming “electrical automobile gross sales are stumbling,” many firms simply set new gross sales information within the third quarter.
Within the US, a document 346,309 EVs had been offered within the third quarter, up 11% from Q3 2023. Electrical automobile share of complete gross sales reached its highest degree at 8.9%, up from 7.8% in Q3 2023.
Maybe Lucid’s CEO has a degree. Folks have been “ill-served” by automakers which have did not sustain with the shift to a digital, electrical period. Consumers need the most recent, most superior tech, options, and connectivity. And electrical autos provide that.
In Rawlinson’s phrases, “Should you like driving quick automobiles, it’s a should. Should you like plenty of legroom and luxury, it’s a should. Should you like a pleasant, quiet and comfy journey, it’s a should. And if you wish to save the planet, it’s a should.”
In line with Rawlinson, manufacturing just isn’t the issue. “Our drawback is market demand, and that’s very a lot a perform of brand name consciousness.”
The corporate’s chief mentioned these not enthusiastic about automobiles “received’t trouble to seek out out that Lucid exists.” As a substitute, they’ll “simply go to your Mercedes seller each three years as a result of you may’t beat the three-pointed star as a model.” That’s the place Lucid seems to be to make the distinction because it enters its subsequent development stage.
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