Startup carmaker Lucid has been promising some frankly gorgeous electric vehicles, including the Air. This sedan has been set up as a serious rival to the Tesla Model S CEO Peter Rawlinson announced via letter that deliveries of its latest vehicle—originally scheduled for spring of 2021—due to COVID-19.
“Despite the excellent progress made in all areas, we now know that we won’t be able to start delivering Lucid Air this spring at the level of quality we insist on providing,” Rawlinson said in the letter. “I am wholly committed to delivering a breathtaking electric car. If this means it will take a bit more time, the this is what we must do.”
We’ve seen plenty of manufacturer delays as a result of COVID-19. Automakers have been shutting down plants on and off since March of 2020, which means there have been fewer cars and parts produced. As a result, Lucid hasn’t been able to conduct adequate testing, get all of its supplies, and prepare for sales and service.
Rawlinson is hoping that the Air can make it out to the public in the second half of 2021 which, all things considered, isn’t a terrible delay for a startup electric brand.
If that goes to plan, Tesla could have serious competition. I know just about every electric automaker is set up as a Tesla rival at some point in its development, but the Lucid Air is actually a direct competition to the Model S. Its estimated 517-mile range in its top tier was significantly greater than Tesla’s mileage until the company introduced the “Plaid Plus” trim Model S, which has a purported three more miles of range than the Air.
And it’s a few thousand cheaper than Tesla, which resulted in Elon Musk dropping the price of the Model S to make it just a smidge cheaper than the Air. It’ll all come down to how the Air performs on the street, though—and we’re going to have to wait a little longer to see how it runs.
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