Lucid Motors has finally started deliveries of the Air Pure, the cheapest vehicle it currently sells. Although far from ‘cheap’ at $87,400 the Pure significantly undercuts the $106,440 Tesla Model S Dual-Motor.
The Air Pure has an impressive 410-mile EPA range. And although it’s not quite as fast as the more expensive Air variants, it’s still a very quick car with a 480 hp output and 4-second 0-60 mph time.
Air Pure deliveries were announced on Lucid’s Twitter account, along with several pictures of new owners with the company’s CEO Peter Rawlinson. This news comes shortly after European deliveries of the Air Dream Edition commenced.
However, it’s not all positive at Lucid. Production numbers are still below expectations, meanwhile the automaker’s stock price continues to dive – in 2022 Lucid shares tanked 83%. Questions are also arising regarding customer demand.
As the economy begins to decline, will Lucid be able to find enough buyers? It’s a relatively unknown brand, and consumers will have concerns over build quality given its a startup. Furthermore, several recalls have not helped matters.
Meanwhile, Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently suggested that Lucid would go under.
It’s no secret that Musk is not a fan of Lucid founder and CEO Peter Rawlinson. Musk previously claimed that Rawlinson, a former engineer at Tesla, left the company “before things got tough”.
Musk also hinted that Rawlinson exaggerated his importance at Tesla. While Rawlinson claims he was once Tesla’s Chief Engineer, Musk has repeatedly denied it. However, this old YouTube video from Tesla’s official channel suggests otherwise. There are also several references to Rawlinson as “VP of Engineering” and “Chief Engineer” on Tesla’s website.
