Lucid Air Is Not A Competitor To Any Tesla Car

DJL

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I think it is interesting that the media has really pushed hard to project the Lucid Air as a competitor to Tesla regarding the EV side of both companies. While, I will admit, maybe in 5 but more likely 10 years, this could be true, but currently, nothing could be further than the truth. They are both targeting very different audiences. While there are some overlaps, such as both appeal to EV enthusiasts, fast car lovers, and techno gadget folks, Lucid’s initial focus is on it’s redefined high-end luxury market, while Tesla does not. Lucid's chief competitors are Mercedes, BMW and Audi. If you do not agree with me, I would request that you review the February 2021 Lucid Investor Presentation which can be seen by just clicking HERE . It is an hour long but well worth the time to watch it if you wish to see the direction and understand the basis of where Rawlinson is taking the company.

I think the reason behind the media’s misrepresenting the Lucid vs Tesla issue is first to generate readership but also because they were floored by Lucid’s range, horsepower and charging speed along with its technology regarding core EV components. These components are the design of its battery pack, its small and light weight motor and transmission, its 900V energy structure and the inverter to support it, and its most remarkable bi-directional charger called the “Wunderbox”. No other EV company has such advanced set of technologies and this puts Lucid in a category by itself.

Tesla is so dominant in the EV market, it will take a decade (maybe even longer) before there is a real competitor to it, whether it is Lucid or someone else.
 
I agree wholeheartedly Tesla and Lucid can easily coexist without competing with each other at all. The EV market is so young, and there are so many potential buyers out there who have yet to take the EV plunge.

I also agree Lucid is not marketing itself as a Tesla competitor. (Very wisely, I might add.)

But the comparisons don't surprise me, because there are just so few EV sedans available in the US right now. So I do think Lucid will get a fair number of folks like me abandoning Tesla, as we basically have nowhere else to go at this point.

They will likely get far more of their buyers from Audi, Mercedes, and BMW, sure. But it's not as if the comparisons are completely unwarranted.

In the end, though, to borrow a line from Steve Jobs, "In order for Lucid to win, Tesla doesn't have to lose." If they needed Tesla to lose, they'd be screwed.
 
Every EV that comes out is branded the "Tesla Killer" and fails abysmally. I think where Lucid should be compared to Tesla is on tech and efficiency. One can question what the hell happened with the software development team but what's under the frunk is impressive and probably even gives Tesla a run for its money in this space. The traditional automakers are lagging and its evident by the range and oversized batteries they're putting in to accommodate for poor performance. With battery shortages imminent I wish them luck in managing costs when range is low but kw's installed are high.

But I agree, the Lucid was never out to kill Tesla in my opinion either but the media seems hell bent on wanting someone to kill Tesla but the Lucid isn't it. I really hope that Lucid can achieve eating into Audi's. BMW's and Mercedes market but I think they're facing an uphill battle due to the mammoth task of just getting the brand recognized.
 
In the US an auto manufacturer can survive with only a few percent market share. There will be plenty of EV companies.

No one is going to kill Tesla. Tesla isn’t going to kill many people either.
 
Ah, Tesla and Lucid are literally competing with each other in my garage and driveway! As an owner of three MS’s since 2012, and a DE for the past 3 months, I can honestly say they aren’t that different. Tesla is better in some ways, Lucid is better in others. I own stock in both. On any given day, I have to struggle to decide which I prefer to drive. I tend to prefer the Lucid.
 

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Ah, Tesla and Lucid are literally competing with each other in my garage and driveway! As an owner of three MS’s since 2012, and a DE for the past 3 months, I can honestly say they aren’t that different. Tesla is better in some ways, Lucid is better in others. I own stock in both. On any given day, I have to struggle to decide which I prefer to drive. I tend to prefer the Lucid.
I'd probably choose that 3rd junk pile you have in your garage, gotta used gas before its $8/gallon ;)
 
Lexus and BMWs are very different but it is just silly to suggest they are not direct competitors.

Tesla can say their main competitor is Saudi Aramco and Lucid can say their main competitor is Mercedes S Class and or E Class.

Won't stop direct comparison and cross shopping.

Fact is there are many that won't consider an ICEv and will only cross shop BEVs in a given price range or category.

Some will cross shop BEVs and PHEVs/ICEv. Others will not consider BEV.

Lucid Air and Model S are direct competitors.
 
I think many of the forum members here either owned or currently own a Tesla so there is definitely overlap / cross shopping / competition between the brands. The different model S models and Lucid Air models have roughly the same size, configuration, price points and performance with each manufacturer performing better is some areas and worse in others. The fact they both had the same designer also leads to direct head to head comparisons.

It’s only natural the press and the public see the two as sparing partners even though Tesla is the established heavy weight and Lucid is the scrappy upstart. I think this is good as Lucid can certainly benefit from Teslas public persona then branch off in their own direction
 
But the comparisons don't surprise me, because there are just so few EV sedans available in the US right now. So I do think Lucid will get a fair number of folks like me abandoning Tesla, as we basically have nowhere else to go at this point.

It's anecdotal evidence, admittedly, but there have been more posters on this forum debating with themselves whether to get a Tesla Model S or a Lucid Air than posters on the fence between a Lucid Air or Mercedes EQS or Genesis EV sedan or any other 5-passenger EV sedan.

I know that Lucid wants to avoid direct competition with Tesla for several good reasons, but the consumer -- for just the reason you give -- is going to make the comparison, at least for a while yet.
 
I always laugh at "The Tesla Killer" LMFAO

It will never happen, Tesla is King! But I prefer the Lucid. It's all about your style, your preferences, your likes, your wants, and needs.
 
Lexus and BMWs are very different but it is just silly to suggest they are not direct competitors.

Tesla can say their main competitor is Saudi Aramco and Lucid can say their main competitor is Mercedes S Class and or E Class.

Won't stop direct comparison and cross shopping.

Fact is there are many that won't consider an ICEv and will only cross shop BEVs in a given price range or category.

Some will cross shop BEVs and PHEVs/ICEv. Others will not consider BEV.

Lucid Air and Model S are direct competitors.
Tesla can acquire Lucid and produce the best driving, most efficient, best UI, with front air lift car on the planet. Wait a minute .. no CarPlay ? Apple can buy Tesla and Lucid and have the best car and CarPlay. I am sure some of us, will find enough reasons to not like the Apple Car.
 
Tesla can acquire Lucid and produce the best driving, most efficient, best UI, with front air lift car on the planet. Wait a minute .. no CarPlay ? Apple can buy Tesla and Lucid and have the best car and CarPlay. I am sure some of us, will find enough reasons to not like the Apple Car.
Apple could have bought Tesla pre 2019, not now. Tesla is poised to be the largest company in history.
 
It's anecdotal evidence, admittedly, but there have been more posters on this forum debating with themselves whether to get a Tesla Model S or a Lucid Air than posters on the fence between a Lucid Air or Mercedes EQS or Genesis EV sedan or any other 5-passenger EV sedan.

I know that Lucid wants to avoid direct competition with Tesla for several good reasons, but the consumer -- for just the reason you give -- is going to make the comparison, at least for a while yet.
I had this happen this morning at Starbucks. A guy asked me if he could take pics of the my car and look inside because he loved the look of it. Surprise, surprise he had a Tesla on order and was now debating whether to cancel and switch to the Lucid after seeing it in person.
 
Apple could have bought Tesla pre 2019, not now. Tesla is poised to be the largest company in history.

Apple would have no interest in Tesla, then or now. Tim Cook, in particular, would have zero use for Elon. So unless Elon leaving the company were part of the deal, that was never going to happen.

I suspect whatever Apple ends up actually announcing in the transportation space, it will not be simply a new car that they sell to people. My guess is they want to do something more disruptive.
 
Apple would have no interest in Tesla, then or now. Tim Cook, in particular, would have zero use for Elon. So unless Elon leaving the company were part of the deal, that was never going to happen.

I suspect whatever Apple ends up actually announcing in the transportation space, it will not be simply a new car that they sell to people. My guess is they want to do something more disruptive.
At this point in time with the people leaving that division I don't think Apple even knows what they want to do themselves. Steve Jobs was innovative, Tim Cook is not. The days of Apple being a disruptor died with Steve Jobs. They've really done nothing game changing of late except just iterate on the existing hardware lineup. If they bring anything out I think it's through a partnership where someone provides the hardware and Apple provides the entire software suite.

The rumor mill runs wild on this but Lucid could be very appealing to Apple if that's the model they chose. Lucid provides the platform and Apple puts its software on top. At the current price point, i've always questioned why Lucid has been so aggressive to get such a big plant built in Arizona. They've taken no orders for the Gravity and the plant in its current state had the yearly capacity to cover the orders they've got for the Air yet, it was full steam ahead to get this expansion going. Just seems strange to me, like they know something is coming that we don't. Is it Apple? who knows, but again we can spin bits of information to suit any narrative these days so it's all just rumor and speculation until something eventually gets announced.
 
At this point in time with the people leaving that division I don't think Apple even knows what they want to do themselves. Steve Jobs was innovative, Tim Cook is not. The days of Apple being a disruptor died with Steve Jobs. They've really done nothing game changing of late except just iterate on the existing hardware lineup. If they bring anything out I think it's through a partnership where someone provides the hardware and Apple provides the entire software suite.

The rumor mill runs wild on this but Lucid could be very appealing to Apple if that's the model they chose. Lucid provides the platform and Apple puts its software on top. At the current price point, i've always questioned why Lucid has been so aggressive to get such a big plant built in Arizona. They've taken no orders for the Gravity and the plant in its current state had the yearly capacity to cover the orders they've got for the Air yet, it was full steam ahead to get this expansion going. Just seems strange to me, like they know something is coming that we don't. Is it Apple? who knows, but again we can spin bits of information to suit any narrative these days so it's all just rumor and speculation until something eventually gets announced.
I know that's the standard line on Tim Cook, but I couldn't disagree more.

Lucid could have made an interesting acquisition for Apple, maybe if they simply wanted the advancements in battery and motor efficiency. They'd take that IP and shut down everything else. Which is why I think if it were going to happen, it would have happened a few years ago. Why do that AFTER Lucid starts having real customers?

A partnership like you describe sounds interesting, but that would be out of step with almost everything Apple does. Generally speaking, Apple likes to control EVERY aspect of their products. Which is why they are finally ditching Intel. (And giving the world the largest leap in desktop computer performance in decades while they are at it.)

I don't think Apple is necessarily thinking about producing an actual car, or simply putting software inside someone else's car. Or if they are, that will come later. And it won't be main point of the exercise.Like most things Apple develops, we have no idea what they are actually doing behind the scenes until they make an announcement of some kind. And that's still years away. Like you said, it's all rumors and speculation—narratives spun by journalists who frankly have no idea what they're talking about.
 
At this point in time with the people leaving that division I don't think Apple even knows what they want to do themselves. Steve Jobs was innovative, Tim Cook is not. The days of Apple being a disruptor died with Steve Jobs. They've really done nothing game changing of late except just iterate on the existing hardware lineup. If they bring anything out I think it's through a partnership where someone provides the hardware and Apple provides the entire software suite.

The rumor mill runs wild on this but Lucid could be very appealing to Apple if that's the model they chose. Lucid provides the platform and Apple puts its software on top. At the current price point, i've always questioned why Lucid has been so aggressive to get such a big plant built in Arizona. They've taken no orders for the Gravity and the plant in its current state had the yearly capacity to cover the orders they've got for the Air yet, it was full steam ahead to get this expansion going. Just seems strange to me, like they know something is coming that we don't. Is it Apple? who knows, but again we can spin bits of information to suit any narrative these days so it's all just rumor and speculation until something eventually gets announced.
Tim Cook is plenty innovative, no matter what the media thinks; also, it isn't up to him to design new products.

The new mixed reality headset is likely to shake things up, and it takes many years to build a new category. Hard to create a new category every 2 years. :)
 
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