How Many Cars Has Lucid Motors Sold (Air Touring, Pure & Grand Touring Sales)

Lucid Motors might be a niche and relatively small EV player, but it is making significant strides. Focusing on redefining the luxury market, its three flagship models, the Air Touring, Air Grand Touring and Air Pure, are high-performance sedans offering relatively higher range, features and a head-turning design (I find the aesthetics of Air touring better than Model S).

While still a relatively unknown automaker, how many of these cars have sold since their inception? And what does the future hold for this challenger brand? Read on to discover the latest sales figures and projections, and find out exactly what Elon Musk thinks of Tesla’s rival.

Lucid Motors Model Air parked in basement

A BRIEF HISTORY OF LUCID MOTORS

Headquartered in Newark, California, the company was founded in 2007 by Sam Weng and Bernard Tse and was originally called Atieva. The company initially focused on developing electric vehicle components and systems for other automakers but later shifted its focus to building its own luxury electric vehicles. Atieva rebranded as Lucid Motors in 2016 and announced plans to build a factory in Arizona. 

Lucid’s first electric vehicle, the Lucid Air, was unveiled in 2020 and began production in 2021. Lucid Motors went public via a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company in July 2021 and is now 60.6% owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund. The former VP of Engineering and Chief Engineer of the Model S at Tesla, Peter Rawlinson, serves as CEO and CTO.

how many cars lucid motors has sold

HOW MANY LUCID AIR CARS HAVE SOLD?

By the end of 2022, the total number of Lucid Air cars sold was 4,494, with almost all sales falling in that year. 2022 marked the first full year of production and sales in significant numbers. Before this, Lucid Motors delivered just 125 units of the Lucid Air Dream Edition in 2021. 

The full-year financial results for 2022 show that Lucid Motors delivered 4,369 vehicles and produced 7,180 vehicles, exceeding its annual production target of 6,000-7,000 vehicles. Despite beating this goal, investors were disappointed as it fell short of the company’s initial forecast of 20,000 cars by some distance. In addition, there were 25,000 customer reservations as of February 2022, so it seems that many potential sales were lost. Unfortunately, Lucid Motors had to radically scale down its targets because of materials and parts shortages.

A CLOSER LOOK AT SALES PERFORMANCE

Although the total production volume for Lucid Air is low, there are signs of rapid growth. Firstly, looking at the year-on-year performance, sales increased by 3,395%.

Annual sales of Lucid Air

2021

2022

% Var

Sales (units)

125

4,369

3,395%

When reviewing 2022 sales by quarter, it is clear that sales accelerated in the latter half of the year as the global supply chain issues that hindered production improved.

2022 sales & production of Lucid Air

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

% Var Q1 – Q4

Sales (units)

360

679

1,398

1,932

437%

Production (units)

1,405 in the first half

2,282

3,493

149%*

*Variance between Q4 & first half

With sales and production increasing in consecutive quarters, the potential to dramatically scale volume looks promising.

2023 SALES FORECAST

Lucid Motors has forecast an conservative production volume of 10,000-14,000 vehicles for 2023. The company reported that as of February 2023, there were over 28,000 customer reservations, representing potential sales of $2.7 billion. However, the chief executive, Peter Rawlinson, cautioned that not all reservations convert into actual sales. In addition to the customer reservations is an agreement from the Saudi Arabian government to buy up to 100,000 cars.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

A new addition to the range is the 1200-plus-horsepower Lucid Air Sapphire, the highest-performance car yet and also the most expensive, at just under $250,000. Equipped with three electric motors, Lucid claims it will reach 60mph in less than 2 seconds and have a top speed of over 200mph. Production is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2023. =

At the other end of the scale, the entry-level model launched at the end of 2022, the Lucid Air Pure, will be ramped up in production volumes for 2024 due to significant consumer demand. With a price tag of $87,400, it offers a simplified version of the Lucid Air experience while retaining a luxurious feel.

Reservations for the Lucid Gravity SUV are due to open soon, with production scheduled for 2024. The first SUV in Lucid’s lineup will seat seven people and have supercar power. It will have more range than any other EV, other than its predecessor Lucid Air. More details, including the price, will be revealed when reservations open.

RIVALRY WITH TESLA

With Lucid Motors disrupting the EV category, it is no surprise that Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, has something to say about it, and on Twitter, no less. In 2021, he disputed the role Peter Rawlinson (Lucid Motors CEO) occupied while he was at Tesla. Musk tweeted, “Rawlinson was never chief engineer. He arrived after Model S prototype was made, left before things got tough & was only ever responsible for body engineering, not powertrain, battery, software, production, or design”. 

If undermining Lucid’s CEO was not bad enough, he has also mocked their low production volumes (“I had more kids in Q2 than they made cars!”) and, more recently, predicted their demise (“They are not long for this world”).

HOW DO LUCID MOTORS’ SALES COMPARE TO OTHER AUTOMAKERS?

Lucid Motors is currently a minor player in the EV market. This position is not unexpected since Lucid Air has only been in production since 2021. The below table is based on the Kelley Blue Book estimates of 2022 sales. It illustrates both Tesla’s dominance and traditional carmakers’ strides in the EV category.

ELECTRIC VEHICLE SALES ESTIMATES (UNITS)

Brand

2022

2021

% Var

% Market Share

Tesla

522,388

352,469

48%

64.5%

Ford

61,575

27,216

126%

7.6%

Chevrolet

38,120

24,828

54%

4.7%

Kia

27,965

8063

247%

3.5%

Hyundai

26,693

10,187

162%

3.3%

Volkswagen

20,511

16742

23%

2.5%

Rivian

20,332

583

2.5%

Audi

16,177

10,985

47%

2.0%

BMW

15,589

1,492

945%

1.9%

Mercedes-Benz

12,421

443

1.5%

Nissan

12,226

14,239

-14%

1.5%

Polestar

9,322

2411

287%

1.2%

Volvo

7,346

5,635

30%

0.9%

Porsche

7,271

9,419

-23%

0.9%

Mini

3,665

1906

92%

0.5%

Lucid

2,656

577

360%

0.3%

Genesis

1,590

0.2%

Toyota

1,220

0.2%

Subaru

919

0.1%

GMC

854

1

0.1%

Mazda

324

181

79%

0.0%

Jaguar

298

1,020

-71%

0.0%

Brightdrop

155

0.0%

Cadillac

122

0.0%

Total (Estimates)

809,739

488,397

66%

100.0%

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the future looks promising for Lucid Motors. With access to significant funding, it can continue to invest in research and development, manufacturing capacity, and expand its product portfolio. Although global supply chain issues had hampered production, Lucid motors seem to be past this now. Additionally, if the upcoming release of the Lucid Gravity SUV goes as planned, the company might become a force to reckon with in the EV industry.

Lucid has made significant strides in battery technology, achieving impressive range and charging capabilities, which give it a competitive edge in the market. Going forward, Lucid motors may just not be a fringe player and may carve out a significant share of the EV market in the years to come.

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Jason L Arthur

Jason L Arthur

Jason Arthur is a data junkie, writer, veteran amateur racecar driver and motorsport photographer. He is the co-founder of LookupaPlate, a collaborative platform to report bad drivers plying on American roads. He is also building a blockchain-based vehicle data marketplace (in stealth mode) and is an adviser to several startups. Jason has been tracking the automotive industry since the 1990s and has a disturbingly deep obsession with the automotive world, and loves to explore whatever roads he can find. From high-speed racing on the circuit to off-road exploration, Jason has an insatiable appetite for adventure. Jason has written for numerous publications, including Autocar Magazine, Motorsport Magazine, and Road & Track.

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