Finally in production. I'd give the ordering process a D+

[L-Dude]

So today I grabbed an AGT that had actually been produced (I think--still no VIN) and have started the financing application. The ordering process was pretty meh. I originally placed the order on March 23rd. My SA said I should see the car in late June/Early July. Ok, no promises, just a guesstimate.

On April 30th, I saw an AGT under "Available Cars" that was almost my exact spec--the only difference being a glass roof instead of the aluminum roof I wanted. It was "available in 4 weeks," so I switched to that order. So that car was supposed to be ready to leave the factory May 30th or so. Two weeks ago I contacted my SA for an update. He checked and found the car was now scheduled to leave the factory on June 16th. Hmmm...ok--so it was really going to be available in 6 weeks rather than 4. Today I reached out for another update, since I need to start the process of selling my current car. I learned the new production date was June 28th. So my "available in four weeks" car was really going to be "available in eight weeks...maybe." Geez. So I talked to my SA again, who wanted to check inventory again. He found a car that was close to my original spec, except it had 20" wheels instead of 19", and Tahoe interior instead of Santa Cruz. I asked if they could swap out the 20s for 19s, and they said no. So i grabbed the car. I wanted an aluminum roof, but got glass. I wanted 19" tires, but got 20s. I wanted Santa Cruz interior, but got Tahoe (in fairness, my wife likes the Tahoe. If she didn't, I would have passed on the car).

I have to admit I am pretty frustrated by the whole process. I'm paying $127k for a car that is kinda what I want (but still a great car, I'm sure). I feel like I settled for a car that was available because I couldn't get any idea when the car I wanted would be available. Judging by how much their "available inventory" changes substantially from time to time, I think their production process is chaos.

I'm need to think about it some more, but I am questioning whether purchasing a new Lucid si really what I want to do.

Edit to add that I feel that my SA has been terrific through this whole thing.

 

[DeaneG]

So today I grabbed an AGT that had actually been produced (I think--still no VIN) and have started the financing application. The ordering process was pretty meh. I originally placed the order on March 23rd. My SA said I should see the car in late June/Early July. Ok, no promises, just a guesstimate.

On April 30th, I saw an AGT under "Available Cars" that was almost my exact spec--the only difference being a glass roof instead of the aluminum roof I wanted. It was "available in 4 weeks," so I switched to that order. So that car was supposed to be ready to leave the factory May 30th or so. Two weeks ago I contacted my SA for an update. He checked and found the car was now scheduled to leave the factory on June 16th. Hmmm...ok--so it was really going to be available in 6 weeks rather than 4. Today I reached out for another update, since I need to start the process of selling my current car. I learned the new production date was June 28th. So my "available in four weeks" car was really going to be "available in eight weeks...maybe." Geez. So I talked to my SA again, who wanted to check inventory again. He found a car that was close to my original spec, except it had 20" wheels instead of 19", and Tahoe interior instead of Santa Cruz. I asked if they could swap out the 20s for 19s, and they said no. So i grabbed the car. I wanted an aluminum roof, but got glass. I wanted 19" tires, but got 20s. I wanted Santa Cruz interior, but got Tahoe (in fairness, my wife likes the Tahoe. If she didn't, I would have passed on the car).

I have to admit I am pretty frustrated by the whole process. I'm paying $127k for a car that is kinda what I want (but still a great car, I'm sure). I feel like I settled for a car that was available because I couldn't get any idea when the car I wanted would be available. Judging by how much their "available inventory" changes substantially from time to time, I think their production process is chaos.

I'm need to think about it some more, but I am questioning whether purchasing a new Lucid si really what I want to do.

Edit to add that I feel that my SA has been terrific through this whole thing.

It generally gets better once you have your car.

 

[L-Dude]

I own my Audi GT outright. I'm wondering if I should just keep it.

 

[Unmutual]

Yeah, you should keep it ....

 

[L-Dude]

Yeah, you should keep it ....

You may be right. I'll sleep on it and decide in the morning.

 

[boydracing]

Or just focus on what you want and don't settle for something you will not be happy about - if time is on your side,

 

[L-Dude]

Or just focus on what you want and don't settle for something you will not be happy about - if time is on your side,

Well that's the thing. The timing is complicated by several factors that are too involved to get into here. If I do go ahead with my Lucid purchase, I need to sell my current car in the next two weeks. Then I need to rent a car until my Lucid comes in--whenever that is. I just need to feel better about the compromises I'd be making on the car's configuration. First world problem for sure, but I don't want to have a car where, for the next three years, I'm regretting the compromises I made.

 

[thyname]

The timing is complicated by several factors that are too involved to get into here. If I do go ahead with my Lucid purchase, I need to sell my current car in the next two weeks.

Your timing is not complicated at all. You own your car outright. Don’t start the selling process until you have a delivery date for your Lucid. If both cars overlap for a week or two, not a big deal. Get the Lucid you really want, and just wait for it.

 

[BS8899]

Your timing is not complicated at all. You own your car outright. Don’t start the selling process until you have a delivery date for your Lucid. If both cars overlap for a week or two, not a big deal. Get the Lucid you really want, and just wait for it.

I agree with @thyname's perspective.

That said, what does @L-Dude's experience tell us about the current Gravity production ramp?

Yes, I know all new product ramps have glitches and fits-and-starts. Glancing at the recent posts, it seems like Lucid is trying to sell the Air's inventory (vs. custom skus). I suspect most of the new custom orders are going to be Gravity, not Air. And Gravity ramp will have its moments. It will be interesting for the next couple of quarters (or the rest of this year).

Gravity is a great looking vehicle. Based on the Lucid tradition, I think the power train and cabin will impress. SW, is still a TBD!

 

[Unmutual]

My perspective is that you need a fair amount of patience to own a Lucid. L-Dude will need to decide if he has sufficient patience. Based solely on what I've read, and I could be totally wrong, he doesn't have a lot of patience when it comes to cars. Obviously those of us who ordered 2022 Air GTs and then were wondering if they'd be delivered in time to get the tax credit have a lot of patience and so don't really think there's a whole lot of difference between waiting 4 weeks and waiting 8 weeks, but the patience to wait for delivery is just one of the many things a Lucid owner needs to be patient about ....

 

[HC_79]

It generally gets better once you have your car.

True but 3+ years into producing vehicles this shouldn’t be happening. It’s the first “welcome to the brand” and certainly doesn’t send a good vibe.

 

[kopik]

My ordering process was a little messy too, but I just had to change the color once. The glass roof was a hard no for me, as it is for some other owners who are exposed to hot summers. In general, I would agree with @Unmutual - you have to have patience to deal with Lucid, as it still feels like we are in a beta-testing stage with a fair amount of bugs (which at least I have not encountered in any other brand I've owned). But to Lucid's credit - they have done a lot to address those even within the 5 months I've had my AT. And it is a truly exciting car to drive IMHO, if you can put up with the glitches...

 

[jedwin]

except it had 20" wheels instead of 19", and Tahoe interior instead of Santa Cruz. I asked if they could swap out the 20s for 19s, and they said no. So i grabbed the car. I wanted an aluminum roof, but got glass. I wanted 19" tires, but got 20s. I wanted Santa Cruz interior, but got Tahoe

That seems like a lot of compromises from your desires, so yes, it seems reasonable for you to rethink things at this point. The glass roof is a major change, and the 20 inch wheels, while preferred by those who appreciate this as a performance vehicle, have a shorter lifespan, and are apparently more fragile to potholes. I’m very surprised they wouldn’t switch the wheels for you; they did that for me on a very quick switch from an order to an available car during the last couple weeks of the year, even having to get the car all the way from Arizona to me in Maine, and lowered the price accordingly. I’m not sure if they switched the wheels in Arizona or at the Massachusetts studio.

This all sounds very frustrating, especially with the supposedly available car being delivered not much sooner than the projection on your ordered car.

It is of course, a fantastic car! I haven’t had any issues requiring service in my first five months, and it’s been a joy to drive.

 

[Leftlane]

Zero chance I would settle on something this big - I’d rather deal with the hassle of timing the sale of your Audi than spend $115k+ on a car that misses on several of the things I want. You’re gonna be miffed at it from day 1 and then every little thing will be magnified in your mind because you could have just waited. I know myself way too well and just couldn’t settle.

 

[petergottlieb]

Zero chance I would settle on something this big - I’d rather deal with the hassle of timing the sale of your Audi than spend $115k+ on a car that misses on several of the things I want. You’re gonna be miffed at it from day 1 and then every little thing will be magnified in your mind because you could have just waited. I know myself way too well and just couldn’t settle.

Absolutely this. L-Dude does not present as someone who is fine with things being less than what they should be. This is not going to be a good experience for him (or for Lucid) if he starts this way. He should hold off and get what he wants the way he wants it, or just keep driving his Audi for a while. Six months in, I've had a positive ownership experience and would totally do it again, but I still put owning a Lucid into the category of things I would not recommend to absolutely everyone. It's out of "early adopter" territory, but still an enthusiast sort of thing. The reward is crazy cool design, handling, efficiency and uniqueness. The cost is janky bluetooth connectivity messing with your infotainment system, the recent bug that crept into the startup sequence in the last update for some of us; etc. Choose wisely...

 

[GTinCT]

I want to share L-Dude's frustration. I ordered an Air GT in March and so far, it has been a very weird purchase experience, especially for a luxury vehicle. After I put down the deposit and provided some information, I got a welcome e-mail, and then not a word since. I had to write my inside sales person just to confirm things are on track and have received kind but terse replies. I'm not writing to criticize but it certainly feels a bit uncomfortable. I've never ordered a Porsche, but I get the feeling they would do a bit more hand holding on the way to delivering your six figure vehicle. Lucid has been at this a few years now and this should be a smoother process for understandably nervous clients. After all, it's a new brand, there is a lot change in the EV space, etc. They should be as good as the other luxury brands in this regard.

Like L-Dude's, my original production date is mid-June. I also saw my car or ones very close to it pop up in inventory and wrote the sales person about switching to one of those cars and they did not even address that suggestion in their reply to me. Only that my car was in production with a mid-June completion estimate. I sort of assumed that they show ordered cars in inventory, even if they aren't available. Maybe that helps them gauge demand? Also, the order has not moved beyond the "preparing for production" stage. Not a big deal, I know, just odd.

Also like most of you, I'm a life long car geek. I've spent months researching Lucid, test driving, etc. The car they've made is remarkable. Nobody else is even close, maybe Porsche in terms of design, ride and build quality but not drivetrain. I remember marveling at Lucid's early pre-production advertisements and wondering if I'd ever own a car like they showed on the screen. It seemed to good to be true until Rawlinson and team brought it to life. I sure hope it all works out because I've paid to install a home charger in the garage and the new 5-series looks like a household appliance while the Taycan doesn't carry adults in the back seat.

 

[borski]

I agree that the sales process leaves a lot to be desired. It has gone through ups and downs, and it seems at the moment to be in need of a bit of a revamp.

 

[Andretex]

we all went thru something similar. as consumers we are used to going to a dealership finding the exact car we want and buying it. the Lucid process is different especially given the one plant producing many variations of the car.

my recommendation to you (trust me on this one) is to order the exact car you want and just wait. dont set your expectation on a date. it wont work. just wait. soon enough the SA will call you for a deposit. that will be about two weeks before the car is delivered. then again wait. then suddenly the SA is in a super hurry to deliver the car to you.

mine finally was delivered when I had covid. i told the SA I could not pick it up now. so the guy delivered it to my house.

anyway, now that I have has the car for 2 years. my only regret is not getting the GT. my Touring is fully loaded.

dont pay this much for a car to then later have regrets on the tires u want, the roof u want or the color. just wait it is worth it!!

 

[DeaneG]

I've loved my GT for 2.5 years, but do still regret not waiting for 20" wheels and Stealth trim. My advice, same as others', would be to find patience and wait for the trim you really want.