Lucid (nee Atieva) to build luxury electric cars in Arizona factory

Teaser for Lucid electric car

Lucid Motors has become the latest startup automaker proposing to build electric cars in the U.S.

The company—formerly known as Atieva—says it plans to break ground next year on a new factory in Casa Grande, Arizona.

Lucid will begin production of its first electric car by 2018, it said in a statement, and expects to employ more than 2,000 people at the factory by 2022.

The ambitious timeline can't help but bring to mind another new automaker—Faraday Future.

Faraday too said it plans to put an electric car into production within two years, and earlier this year it broke ground on its own factory in North Las Vegas, Nevada.

While Faraday still apparently plans to unveil its first production model at CES in January, work on the factory has stopped, seemingly due to unpaid bills.

Teaser for Lucid electric car

Faraday received a generous package of incentives from the state of Nevada to locate its factory there, but Lucid so far hasn't discussed any incentives offered by Arizona.

It said the site-selection process began over a year ago, and that more than 60 potential sites in 13 states were considered.

Casa Grande was chosen for its "pro-business mindset," available workforce, nearby academic institutions, the company's release said, as well as its proximity to Lucid's Silicon Valley headquarters and suppliers.

The factory is to be overseen by Lucid director of manufacturing Brian Barron, an 18-year veteran of BMW.

The electric car to be built there is expected to be a fast luxury sedan that competes with the Tesla Model S, which has been in production since 2012 and is regularly updated.

Thought to be called Atvus, the Lucid car will reportedly be a mid-size luxury sedan close to the BMW 5-Series in size.

Teaser for Lucid electric car

It is expected to use a dual-motor powertrain, supposedly producing as much as 900 horsepower.

Lucid has demonstrated this powertrain hardware in "Edna," a Mercedes-Benz Metris van converted into a test vehicle.

In videos that circulated over the summer, Edna dispatches a Model S, a Ferrari California T, and other high-end performance cars in drag races.

In an interview last month, Lucid CTO Peter Rawlinson mentioned a top speed of more than 200 mph, a range of at least 300 miles—and possibly as high as 400 miles in some versions.

Teaser for Lucid electric car

Lucid (then Atieva) was founded in 2007 by a former Tesla vice president and the founder of a networking company.

It started out developing monitoring and control software for battery packs used in electric vehicles to be produced by other companies.

Insiders suggest, however, that the company's founders always had a long-term goal of building its own vehicles.

Atieva eventually decided to build its own electric cars, and secured investments for that purpose from Chinese automaker BAIC (Beijing Automotive Industry Corp.).

It then received additional funds from Jia Yueting, billionaire and founder of Chinese tech giant LeEco.

Jia is also one of the main backers of the troubled Faraday Future.

Lincoln Continental Concept Debuts

The past ten years will undoubtedly go down as some of the worst in Lincoln’s long history as both its sales and its status as a luxury car leader have plummeted. Even Ford’s venerated former CEO Alan Mulally considered euthanizing Lincoln, but the brand managed to hang on, and it might finally be turning a corner with the Lincoln Continental Concept.

The first thing I noticed is how low the Continental Concept rides to the ground, hovering just a few inches over the blacktop. In a nod to the Tesla Model S, Lincoln designers added pop-out “E-Latch” door handles that contribute to the smooth, uninterrupted lines of the Continental Concept, even while the flared wheel wells give it a broad, muscular look. It’s true to the history of the Continental, without being mired in the past.

One of the major knocks against Lincoln is how it’s been light on luxury features that other automakers are offering buyers, adding to the accusation that the brand is little more than tarted-up Fords. But the Continental could change that with options like a smart-tinting sunroof, reclining rear seats, a “tablet tray” that pops out of the rear center console, and even a champagne storage compartment, because only the uber-wealthy should be allowed to enjoy an alcoholic beverage on the road, apparently. There’s even detachable Venetian leather travel cases that plug into the backs of the front seats.

By now you’ve got to be wondering, “What’s under the hood?” Sorry to disappoint plug-in car fans, but the sole source of motivation in the Continental Concept is the 3.0 liter EcoBoost V6 that is almost certianly based off of the 2.7 liter EcoBoost V6 that debuted in the 2015 Ford F-150 last year. The Continental offers three driving modes, normal, sport, and comfort, but nowhere is there any mention of weight-lightening materials like carbon fiber or aluminum. That seems like a missed opportunity to me, as is not integrating more sustainability into the Lincoln dealer network.

On the whole though? I love the Lincoln Continental Concept, and the directional shift it seems to indicate for the brand. Let’s drop the crappy three-letter “names” and bring back monikers like Continental, Town Car, and Zephyr that clearly seperate themselves from the Ford lineup. Maybe that$5 billion makeover is finally working.

The only thing missing from the Continental Concept is a plug, and that can only be fixed later.

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Many Luxury Car Owners Would Buy An Electric Car

Four years ago, many people didn’t take electric vehicles seriously, and certainly not the sorts of people who might buy an expensive luxury automobile. It’s amazing how a few years can completely change perceptions.

A recent study by U.K.-based WeLoveAnyCar found that about 40% of BMW, Mercedes, and Jaguar would buy, or seriously consider buying, an all-electric car. The results were pretty much the same across all three brands, and that’s good news for automakers like Tesla Motors and BMW, who are making a play for the eco-conscious business magnate market before bringing EVs to the wider market, though it does come with a caveat. The survey questioned over 24,000 current luxury car owners, and asked how many of them would buy an all-electric car with a 300-mile driving range. Technically, that car doesn’t exist yet, though 40% of respondents still answered positively at a time when cars like the Tesla Model S and BMW i8 are just hitting the U.K. market.

While 40% responded positively though, that also means some 60% of respondents still aren’t too keen on electric cars. In fact, 12 to 17% of respondents said they’d NEVER buy an electric car, even if all other things like options and performance were equal. Some people are just haters I guess, but that won’t stop the momentum electric vehicles have built in the past few years. After all, we all want what rich people have, and that includes their cars. Tesla alone has made waves in the luxury car world, eating up market share while growing its ambitions to rival brands that have been around for a century or more.

Soon, keepin’ up with the Joneses will mean putting an electric car in your driveway.

Source: Gas2