There are so many ways to think about Rawlinson's 80/20 remarks that it makes my head spin.
In one way, it could be looked at as simply a re-emphasizing of Atieva's original business model of supplying state-of-the-art technology components to vehicle manufacturers.
It could also be looked at as part of a strategy to bring the whole industry along faster and further in the quest to make global transportation more energy efficient. Spreading Lucid technology into multiple brands moves the ball much further than just trying to do it off a single brand platform.
The dual mission of being a multi-brand source for automotive technology while also trying to build a business as a single-brand manufacturer could also contain an element of nostalgia for the days when cars were great driving machines first and foremost instead of the increasingly gaudy mobile computers some storied brands are becoming. (I still remain in awe of how good a job Rawlinson and the team he assembled have done of bringing old-style driving magic into the EV realm. I suspect Rawlinson, hardcore "car guy" that he is, simply doesn't have faith than anyone else in the industry will do it if he doesn't. For all the talk of efficiency and environment, tossing a car along a canyon road seems to be his deepest and most-enduring love.)
And maybe this is also the voice of the Saudis coming through. If they hope to use Lucid to help move them beyond an oil economy, they need more than just a car brand to do it. They need tentacles spreading throughout the broader industry, and powertrain technology would be those tentacles. This, more than owning a car brand, may be the reason they keep the money taps open for Lucid.