Back when we still had our first Tesla (2015 Model S P90D) and I had put down a deposit on a Lucid Air Dream, I began the long process of learning as much as I could about Lucid ahead of deciding whether I really wanted to buy a car that expensive from an early production run. Part of that process was to follow as many written and video interviews as I could find with Lucid personnel.
I still remember an interview Peter Rawlinson gave about ADAS in early days. He said that software -- and especially ADAS software -- was outside his realm of expertise and recounted the discussions he had been having with individuals and companies that were developing autonomous driving systems. He said that everyone in the field (outside of Tesla) was telling him that true self-driving in all conditions on all roads was an absolute minimum of at least ten years and several tens of billion of development dollars away from realization and that it might not even be attainable based on what could be done with the just vehicle without changes in roadway design and infrastructure. Rawlinson promised that Lucid would have some ADAS features, that some of them would not come until 18 months after first production runs, and that they would remain in the realm of Level 2 or 2+ features for the foreseeable future.
At the time of this interview, I was watching one feature after another being deactivated in the $3,000 "Enhanced Autopilot" option we had purchased for our Tesla (the only ADAS option Tesla offered at the time). It could no longer be set to drive more than 5 miles above the speed limit. It would no longer operate on some surface roads where it had earlier. Automatic lane change was turned off. In short, this $3,000 option on a car that already cost $125,000 was reduced to nothing more than adaptive cruise control with lane keeping assist.
Yet, at the same time, Tesla was beginning to talk about its "full self-driving" system that would be operable in a few months . . . no, early next year . . . no, later next year . . . no, the year after . . . . . . And it could be had for the bargain price of $5,000 . . . no, $10,000 . . . no, $12,000 . . . no, $15,000.
This contrast between Rawlinson's candor regarding ADAS and Musk's overblown marketing hype and rapacious pricing was the point at which I decided Lucid really was worth watching.
And when bought our Model S Plaid in 2021, we took a pass on its "full self driving" option. Fool me once . . . .