Luxury electric-car maker Lucid completes first phase of Casa Grande plant

Luxury electric-car startup Lucid Motors has finished the first phase of construction at its $700 million plant in Casa Grande, with some manufacturing already underway ahead of full production expected to start in the spring.

Lucid said the factory, dubbed Lucid Advanced Manufacturing Plant-1, will have an initial capacity of up to 30,000 units annually to supply global markets, beginning with North America.

Production will initially consist of Lucid Air Dream Editions, priced at $169,000 followed quickly by Grand Touring ($139,000) and Touring ($95,000) models. The Lucid Air Pure is slated to join the lineup in early 2022, available from $77,400. The cars qualify for a $7,500 federal tax credit.

Peter Rawlinson, CEO and chief technology officer of Lucid Motors, noted that the company broke ground at the 590-acre Lucid AMP-1 site in Casa Grande on Dec. 1 last year and completed the “first purpose-built EV factory in North America” in less than a year.

“The effort and agility demonstrated by this team is truly astounding, as we’re already commissioning equipment compatible with the Lucid manufacturing system to start production of the next-generation EV, the Lucid Air, in just a few months,” Rawlinson said in prepared remarks.

The company plans to hire 750 people for the first-phase factory operation and expects to eventually employ more than 2,000 at the Casa Grande site, a company spokeswoman said.

As part of the factory’s commissioning, including testing new production processes and state-of-the-art equipment, the company has already built its full beta prototype test fleet and is now transitioning to the construction of a final series of “production-representative” versions of the Lucid Air, the company said.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

The Lucid manufacturing system uses advanced processes such as an aircraft-inspired riveted and bonded monocoque body structure, integrating the chassis and frame and replacing spot welds to give the Lucid Air “state-of-the-art structural efficiency.”

The finished factory is the first of four development phases planned through 2028, taking the square footage of the factory from its current 999,000 square feet to 5.1 million square feet and potentially ramping up manufacturing capacity to up to 400,000 units per year, the company said.

Lucid, which is looking to compete head-on with Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc. in the luxury electric vehicle market, is funded largely by a $1 billion investment by the Saudi Arabia sovereign wealth fund announced in 2018.

Lucid could qualify for more than $45 million in state incentives, including tax credits, which are tied to milestones like how many people are hired.

Pinal County also purchased 500 acres of land that is being leased — and eventually will be sold — to Lucid.

Company officials have estimated the plant will have a $32 billion revenue impact on Pinal County over the next 20 years.