The one Motortrend tested with the super long range was the crazy expensive version. The cheapest ones have around 330 miles of range which is still good. Still not cheap but seems within range of a luxury EV.

 

Taycan's a lot more cramped so not very comparable. Tesla Model S is closer and obviously you can get a blazing fast Plaid for less than that.

As far as affording 175k, there's a lot of wealthy people out there willing to sling it around, and they made bank on the stock market in the last couple of years, some on crypto even, so there's people who can afford it but i just don't think it seems worth 175k to me, especially since it's 'unknown' or rather no track record.

Why anyone would want one of these lincoln-looking boats instead of the Mercedes EQS is beyond me. Maybe the EQS is slower and range doesn't top the Air, but the interior and drive-train/platform is stunning.

Wow, 100k spread from bottom to top it will probably be like tesla though, initially magically the low price ones aren't available so they can grab cash more quickly from early adopters.

The tech though seems impressive... i can see another bigger car maker buying them.

 

Personally I think this car is WAY better looking than the EQS.

 

Tesla didn't start making money until the affordable (?) Model 3 was released.
Porsche had their ICE cars to buffer the cost of building the Taycan.

I wish Lucid good luck. At these prices, they will need it.
Plus, that car looks strange to me. Ugly, actually. Each to their own, I guess.

 

But they didn't offer the basic 3 for what, a year or more after the 3 came out? I don't blame them, the demand was so huge, might as well make more loaded ones.

 

Tesla never did produce the entry level Model 3 (215 miles of range and start at $35K). They did honor some of the pre-orders with the then base level which listed for more. I think Tesla put in even cheaper interiors... I talked to one owner who has this car.

My point is, Tesla built the Roadster and Model S to learn enough to build a higher sales vehicle. Until then, they were not profitable. They were a startup, then a high growth company, which they are now.
With the other high end EVs coming out and Tesla's head start, Lucid had better build something special. So far, in comparison to Tesla, no one else has done so.
I wish them luck.

 

Yeah, totally agree. I think at least in pictures the Air looks amazing, waaaay better than the Model S which just looks stale at this point. The EQS, though, deserves special attention because it's one of the ugliest vehicles I've ever seen. It looks like a SUV trying to slim down to become a sedan.

But it wasn't because they were losing money selling cars, right? It was because they were investing a lot in future productions (Model 3/Y). They were near bankruptcy not because their products or business model was bad, but because they were investing so much cash that they were close to not having enough on hand to pay due obligations.

 

Yes...it was bad cash mgmt because Elon underestimated how hard it would be to get production up and running so the Model 3 was noticeably delayed. It seems the business model is fine as they are profitable and have excess demand. Cash mgmt has been really good right now as they are now in a net cash position. Lucid won't be profitable for awhile but it looks like the company has positioned itself to get taken out by a bigger OEM as the Air really is a demonstration of the company's EV technology prowess. However, Lucid is backed by one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world so it probably won't be starved for cash like Tesla was.

 

Rivian seems like an almost infinitely better bet than Lucid as far as newcomers.
Rivian's backed by Amazon and has a huge order for delivery trucks.
Rivian's planning to do a traditional IPO unlike the b.s. **** that's launched LCID.

 

Neither has produced a single vehicle that to me makes them equal currently. Doesn't matter what form of funding is going on.

 

i dont think Rivian has a running vehicle... Lucid does.

I am sure that people that complain about Lucid not producing any vehicles yet, will then complain how Lucid did not produce 100,000 vehicles yet, and then 1,000,000 vehicles yet, etc, etc. All these complaints from Tesla shareholders are funny because they were complaints against Tesla as well.

It is real car from car people.

Definitely a threat in EV world.

 

Rivian is way farther along than you think. They just had an event two weeks ago for early reservation holders. Pre-production models have been rolling around on public streets for months and they’re about to build a second plant.








Pre-production SUV on the street:

 

watch the "Long Way Up" series with Ewan McGregor where he does a crazy trip from the southern tip of South America up to Los Angeles and his two support vehicles are Rivian trucks and they performed flawlessly through some incredible abuse and all weather conditions.

 

I think both companies are well funded and both have great technology and engineers. That Rivian truck is pretty nice...I will consider one in a couple years as a family vehicle. I think if Tesla opens up the infrastructure to other EVs and EA doubles the CCS plugs around the nation, we'll have a pretty decent charging network. I wouldn't be surprised if both companies get taken out through M&A though.

 

I think ppl forget how hard it is to build a brand from ground up.

Even Tesla took Years of failures and trial and error. It had magic potion with the gimmick 0-60, auto pilot etc to capture the public and build rabid fanbase of young folks and techies.

This Lucid looks like its for 80yr olds going to play bingo.
MT is raving about it but i have seen the car in the flesh and it will not wow anyone especially in the gold/beige color.

I do think there is a market for $100k + luxury focused EV but I don’t see this Lucid enticing those buyers who prefer prestige and badge name over battery range.