Please critique my piece in Barron's

[Lax]

10,000 + miles on my GT - I love it.
Bill Alpert has nil value as a journalist with this piece.
in fact he should be sued for malpractice.

 

[victoryroad]

If the author had requested facts and documentation of his findings from forum members well before publishing an article most would find that reasonable, although not many would actually have direct contact with reporters for obvious reasons. Funny that when one has direct knowledge of a situation and reads a media report on that situation one usually finds a disconnect from the truth. Interesting to note that LCID actually traded up a bit after the author posted his request for comment here Friday late morning. Time for a retort from Jonny Lieberman at Motor Trend.

 

[Tesla2.0]

As one of two (I believe) owners reporting on this forum the issue of the car trying to move forward while in reverse, I can confirm there was no attempt to contact me for this article. While it was somewhat disconcerting at the time, it was not unsafe and appeared to be very specific to the vehicle being stopped on an incline. I have not noticed any further reports of a similar issue and have not had the problem again.

Yes, although my AGT had brief moment couldn’t start and needed Service Center to come in troubleshoot, it was low voltage drainage after OTA update and it was a quick fix by updating new OTA version by Service Center. OP did not try to contact me for any data validation as proper investigative journalist, “…dozens of motor stopped causing road hazard…”
It seems it’s a piece of sensationalizing journalism seeking boss approval as standard career practice of OP.

 

[AZLucidGuy]

If the author had requested facts and documentation of his findings from forum members well before publishing an article most would find that reasonable, although not many would actually have direct contact with reporters for obvious reasons. Funny that when one has direct knowledge of a situation and reads a media report on that situation one usually finds a disconnect from the truth. Interesting to note that LCID actually traded up a bit after the author posted his request for comment here Friday late morning. Time for a retort from Jonny Lieberman at Motor Trend.

I don’t think this this article in Barron’s will have much impact on LCID. As noted the article is poorly sourced. It is based upon hearsay from anonymous forum members. The author choose to be unbalanced by only presenting negative forum posts. I get it. He wanted a headline. So he chased the negative.

Anyone can create a forum account and say anything that they want to. True or false. The openness of the forum is both a strength and a weakness.

 

[AZLucidGuy]

May not all be Hacks…….. my vast experience with them is the same but I must admit that I have called them out on blaring incorrect journalism and made them correct it. Problem is once their damage is done that is how the public perceives it. This is sore subject for me. They should be held accountable for all damage that they do. We are seeing some big payouts but I digress and must keep on topic. I was surprised that Barons allowed the article to be posted. Very embellished.

Let’s see if Barron’s either amends the article or writes a follow up article which is more balanced. One or both should happen. I do applaud Raj author for posting the article on the forum and invite comments. He must have realized that many of the comments would be critical.

Let’s hope that the author and Barron’s take constructive feedback seriously and reports a more accurate and balanced view of Lucid in the future.

 

[Zenithredgt60]

Disappointing that Barrons would publish such a biased article unsupported by sufficient facts. Journalists should be held responsible for such biased reporting. I too have had a great ownership experience with my Air GT but for software issues that had no impact on the drivability or safety of the vehicle. I have had more serious driving related issues with Mercedes automobiles . In addition there were serious issues with the Porsche Tycan in its first few months of production in 2019 that caused it to brick but ultimately they were fixed and only effected a very small group of owners. The author clearly has other motives posting his article on this forum after it was published. I suspect he is hoping for more social media coverage or hits on his web page. Perhaps they’re looking to get lucid to advertise in their publication as a way of getting future stories that are better.

 

[EricM]

Elon probably commissioned the article because the Air will likely soon be outselling the Model S LOL

 

[SCOOTERSD]

I saw the Barron’s article referenced in another newsfeed this afternoon that questioned Lucid’s viability with all the issues that Barron’s raised

 

[invalidname]

I saw the Barron’s article referenced in another newsfeed this afternoon that questioned Lucid’s viability with all the issues that Barron’s raised

links or it didnt happen

 

[Bunnylebowski]

Wow, how pathetic that standards have sunk so low in publishing that being a flat out troll means you get published, especially in financial press no less? I’m not going to fall for the “I already published this article, can you fact check if for me” attempt to get even more people to read it. Cherry picking anonymous sources to manufacture a scandal about Lucid and then trolling Lucid enthusiasts to drum up even more click generating controversy is sooooo slimy. Gross I need a shower.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I have an honest question for the author though: when you have your coffee in the morning and then run and go take a crap on Edward R Murrow’s grave, do you remember to bring toilet paper? If not, try using your article, seems to absorb s*** pretty well.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

To be fair, I am being deliberately mean spirited above. But here’s some thoughts as to why, which I shared in private.
What is reasonable is to commiserate with owners who have had the car they were optimistic about die on them, which Lucid by no means wants to happen and is actively trying to sort out (hey I could be next!), but what we have here instead is bloggers/writers like the Barrons author who have exploited that misfortune in a disingenuous manner under the guise of “alerting the public” as to this supposed catastrophe that is Lucid motors, then asking you to help spread the hysteria. When they do that, should that earn any more respect than your average buzzard? I can’t help but see them licking their chops at any negative remark they can scavenge on here, a place for owners and prospective buyers plundered by those who will make a story fit their agenda when the real story doesn’t. Depending on my mood, I may decide it’s worth it to be mean, as they are not our friend anyway.

 

[Dortreo]

I have an honest question for the author though: when you have your coffee in the morning and then run and go take a crap on Edward R Murrow’s grave, do you remember to bring toilet paper? If not, try using your article, seems to absorb s*** pretty well.

But @bunnylebowski, I’m so confused. Could you please be clearer about how you feel about the article?

I didn’t realize the article was already published before posting it here and stupidly thought that @blalpert was genuinely looking for feedback prior to publication. That’s just troll-tastic and cynical. But a smart way to put together a follow-up article without a lot of effort. So kudos for that, I guess.

 

[SCOOTERSD]

Here is the link to the article I mentioned above::

Lucid’s Broken Cars May Crush It – 24/7 Wall St.

EV car company Lucid makes astonishingly expensive vehicles priced as high as $249,000. For that price, customers should at least get cars that work. New evidence indicates that the quality of many of its cars is terrible. That puts already troubled Lucid in a life-or-death position. According...

247wallst.com

 

[Bunnylebowski]

Language like “Life or Death position”, “new evidence indicates terrible quality” etc. See what I was saying about manufactured hysteria to get readership? This person deserves no welcome, they’re hoping the car company you just spent significant $ on fails so they can have more to write about, that’s all. It’s not worth entertaining, and I feel bad for the people at Lucid who are working very hard in this first year of vehicle deliveries to do a good job and improve the product while having these writers making their job harder.

 

[24jlucid]

I had an issue upon the first week of delivery September. Lucid fixed it. It’s my daily vehicle now and I have close to 3k miles on it. I love the car.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I had an issue upon the first week of delivery September. Lucid fixed it. It’s my daily vehicle now and I have close to 3k miles on it. I love the car.

That has been my experience and the experience of the majority owners I know. And yet these awful writers time and time again are making it sound like the wheels are falling off and the Lucid airplane is crashing into the mountain.

 

[hmp10]

In August 2021 we took delivery on a Tesla Model S Plaid -- an update of a model that had been in production for 9 years. In December 2021 we took delivery on a Lucid Air Dream Performance -- the 154th car delivered to a customer 3 months into their production run. The Tesla had more initial build quality problems than the Lucid. Every one of the Lucid's relatively few issues has been addressed. Only some of the Tesla's quality issues were addressed (yoke scuffing against the steering column, rubber grommets falling off trunk lid studs, 2 airbag recalls). Some never will be (front passenger door does not catch without a hard slam, misaligned body panels and interior trim pieces, yellowish factory PPF on rear fenders and under door handles, fails to recognize the key fob every week or two). Our 2015 Tesla Model S P90D went through 4 driver door handle replacements, required replacement of the MCU, never was able reliably to read a music memory stick, required frequent reboots, and had a battery pack weld break that took out the rear drive unit as well as the pack.

After 10 months of living with Lucid's not-ready-for-primetime software, the UX 2.0 series of updates has vastly improved the software, putting it on a par with Tesla's and including some useful features that Tesla does not. The Tesla is developing squeaks and groans in the body that are totally absent in the Lucid, which now has more mileage on it than the Tesla. And the Lucid's room, comfort, handling, and ride compliance easily dusts the Model S Plaid.

If EV buyers follow the prediction of McIntyre and switch their reservations from Lucid to Tesla, they may well come to regret it. After around a year with both cars, had we known the Sapphire would come as early as it now seems, we would have held off on the Model S Plaid and chosen the Lucid as our tri-motor beast. We may still make the switch.

 

[jcook3s]

Please take note of the dates of the forum complaints.

I have a theory that headlines and thin content like this exist to get readers to open up the article so that stats improve and ad revenue increases for the website.

 

[babwine]

Early in my college career (a very long time ago) I learned how easy it was to prove one's position on a subject by highlighting "facts" that supported your argument while ignoring those that would challenge that position. While your writing is thorough and has been suggested by others who have already responded, your approach has a negative bent. If you include the bad stuff it is imperative that you also include the multitude of positives which by far outweigh the handful of negative reports. What will your title be?
Will it suggest a great car with some growing pains or nice but beware? I too have a LUCID AGT. 3,000 miles since July. While a few software glitches and a door handle issue, the car is awesome and a tour de force in EV's. Please do not be swayed by those relatively few and unvetted comments you have seen. Barron's commentary carries great weight. At the very least, responsible reporting requires significant research to obtain facts and not rely on hearsay. Please do more before finalizing your piece.