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Top 10 reasons Apple should acquire Lucid

Stevie Bee

Stevie Bee

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I briefly mentioned this idea in another forum, but I'd like to expand on why I think it makes so much sense for Apple to acquire Lucid. I'm not an investment banker and I don't directly own stock in either company. This is just hypothetical on my part. I'll lay out the argument and would love to hear what others think. Here are my reasons in no particular order:

1. Apple has tried (and failed) at building a self-driving car with 'Project Titan'. The interest has been there from a strategic standpoint, but the execution didn't work out. Lucid is already up and running and its vehicles have all the requisite hardware in place (lidar, radar, ultrasonic sensors, cameras) as well as DreamDrive Pro.
2. Four other companies in the U.S. are actively testing robo-taxis (Uber, Zoox/Amazon, Waymo/Google and Tesla).
3. Xiaomi, primarily known as a Chinese consumer electronics company, and a competitor to Apple, is now building incredible cars that are tightly integrated with their devices. Here's a review from yesterday by Marques Brownlee -
.
4. Apple is often a late entrant, and looks to improve upon first mover tech (mp3 players>iPod, wireless headphones>AirPods, mobile devices>iPhone, smart watches>Apple Watch etc.) but companies like Tesla have been refining their hardware and software for over a decade, so if Apple is going to act, the time is now.
5. Lucid is based in the U.S., not far from Apple (24 miles), and has its main factory in AZ. Proximity is a plus. Made in the USA is a plus.
6. Lucids are really great cars, that have amazing hardware engineering, but need better quality control and more reliable software. Apple can easily fulfill those needs (and you can bet CarPlay would work flawlessly). Plus, Apple has world-class product design skills to complement Lucid's.
7. Lucid's enterprise value is $5.3 billion, which, given Apple's cash reserves, is not much even when factoring in a buyout premium. For reference, Apple paid $3 billion ($4.11 billion in today's dollars) to buy Beats by Dre in 2014. Of course, post-purchase, Lucid will require further investment, which is still quite feasible given Apple's deep pockets.
8. Apple's brand would have an immediate halo effect on Lucid's brand.
9. Amazon, another competitor, has a 17% stake in Rivian.
10. The Saudi Public Investment Fund is having challenges with its portfolio and may be looking for an off-ramp in its investment in Lucid rather than having to put more money into the company and no near term prospects of profitability - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/business/pif-saudi-arabia-fund-problems.html
11. Bonus Reason - Tesla's enterprise value is $1.4 trillion, which shows that there's enormous upside for Apple if they get it right.
 
Stevie Bee said:
I briefly mentioned this idea in another forum, but I'd like to expand on why I think it makes so much sense for Apple to acquire Lucid. I'm not an investment banker and I don't directly own stock in either company. This is just hypothetical on my part. I'll lay out the argument and would love to hear what others think. Here are my reasons in no particular order:

1. Apple has tried (and failed) at building a self-driving car with 'Project Titan'. The interest has been there from a strategic standpoint, but the execution didn't work out. Lucid is already up and running and its vehicles have all the requisite hardware in place (lidar, radar, ultrasonic sensors, cameras) as well as DreamDrive Pro.
2. Four other companies in the U.S. are actively testing robo-taxis (Uber, Zoox/Amazon, Waymo/Google and Tesla).
3. Xiaomi, primarily known as a Chinese consumer electronics company, and a competitor to Apple, is now building incredible cars that are tightly integrated with their devices. Here's a review from yesterday by Marques Brownlee -
.
4. Apple is often a late entrant, and looks to improve upon first mover tech (mp3 players>iPod, wireless headphones>AirPods, mobile devices>iPhone, smart watches>Apple Watch etc.) but companies like Tesla have been refining their hardware and software for over a decade, so if Apple is going to act, the time is now.
5. Lucid is based in the U.S., not far from Apple (24 miles), and has its main factory in AZ. Proximity is a plus. Made in the USA is a plus.
6. Lucids are really great cars, that have amazing hardware engineering, but need better quality control and more reliable software. Apple can easily fulfill those needs (and you can bet CarPlay would work flawlessly). Plus, Apple has world-class product design skills to complement Lucid's.
7. Lucid's enterprise value is $5.3 billion, which, given Apple's cash reserves, is not much even when factoring in a buyout premium. For reference, Apple paid $3 billion ($4.11 billion in today's dollars) to buy Beats by Dre in 2014. Of course, post-purchase, Lucid will require further investment, which is still quite feasible given Apple's deep pockets.
8. Apple's brand would have an immediate halo effect on Lucid's brand.
9. Amazon, another competitor, has a 17% stake in Rivian.
10. The Saudi Public Investment Fund is having challenges with its portfolio and may be looking for an off-ramp in its investment in Lucid rather than having to put more money into the company and no near term prospects of profitability - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/business/pif-saudi-arabia-fund-problems.html
11. Bonus Reason - Tesla's enterprise value is $1.4 trillion, which shows that there's enormous upside for Apple if they get it right.
Click to expand...
Why would Saudi sell Lucid to Apple? Saudi wants manufacturing in Saudi. That’s why they invest in Lucid. Saudi will never sell Lucid or make it go bankrupt.
 
None of those reasons involve Apple getting any benefit. The car industry is saturated, particularly with Chinese entrants that are producing lower cost and in many ways better cars than American companies, not to mention tons of self-driving technology companies. Why would Apple want to get into a completely new business area, which is saturated with competition (foreign and domestic), low profit margins, tons of regulatory uncertainty, and produce products that have major legal/safety concerns. Your iPhone might overheat but it's not going to kill your whole family like a faulty self-driving vehicle. Your list has things that might benefit Lucid, or might be coincidental (close headquarters), but none of that has anything to do with Apple wanting to sink billions into a very uncertain business model in a saturated industry with enormous political and regulatory headwinds. Easier to keep selling phones and computers, and they're doing just fine with that.
 
Apple is also good at hardware as the OP states, but judging by Siri and their abortive attempts at self driving cars and ai tend to reinforce that they may not be brilliant at software., like lucid. With current evs being prototyped by Tesla and the ensuing bandwagon as a required fusion of hardware and complex software, it seems a huge software program hole would still exist in such an acquisition.

If I were to ask who has money, good software capability, and interest in car manufacturing as the set needed to either hostile or through Saudi blessing acquire Lucid, perhaps in US and other negotiated territories would be GM/cadillac. However, sadly, I don’t see gm caring/understanding about efficiency and I am not sure that the lucid software stack could be integrated into whatever gm is calling their system today. As I type it, that is an interesting moat as a detriment to m&a - software stack incompatibility? Too tech specific for my wheelhouse to even guess at.
 
That would be fabulous, then my Gravity would immediately get Apple car play!! Which I desperately miss (and was told by the sales associate in January would be included on Gravity )!
 
gaskiller said:
Why would Saudi sell Lucid to Apple? Saudi wants manufacturing in Saudi. That’s why they invest in Lucid. Saudi will never sell Lucid or make it go bankrupt.
Click to expand...
Wouldn't letting it go bankrupt be short-sighted if another company offered them a decent offer? Not doing so is cutting off your nose to spite your face. I don't want to get in the weeds, but perhaps the PIF could be minority shareholders, or there would be assurances about maintaining manufacturing in Saudi Arabia.
 
Solomente said:
None of those reasons involve Apple getting any benefit. The car industry is saturated, particularly with Chinese entrants that are producing lower cost and in many ways better cars than American companies, not to mention tons of self-driving technology companies. Why would Apple want to get into a completely new business area, which is saturated with competition (foreign and domestic), low profit margins, tons of regulatory uncertainty, and produce products that have major legal/safety concerns. Your iPhone might overheat but it's not going to kill your whole family like a faulty self-driving vehicle. Your list has things that might benefit Lucid, or might be coincidental (close headquarters), but none of that has anything to do with Apple wanting to sink billions into a very uncertain business model in a saturated industry with enormous political and regulatory headwinds. Easier to keep selling phones and computers, and they're doing just fine with that.
Click to expand...
If Apple is looking for ways to meaningfully grow and could potentially add $1 trillion to their market cap, it seems like there could be some benefit.
 
Stevie Bee said:
I briefly mentioned this idea in another forum, but I'd like to expand on why I think it makes so much sense for Apple to acquire Lucid. I'm not an investment banker and I don't directly own stock in either company. This is just hypothetical on my part. I'll lay out the argument and would love to hear what others think. Here are my reasons in no particular order:

1. Apple has tried (and failed) at building a self-driving car with 'Project Titan'. The interest has been there from a strategic standpoint, but the execution didn't work out. Lucid is already up and running and its vehicles have all the requisite hardware in place (lidar, radar, ultrasonic sensors, cameras) as well as DreamDrive Pro.
2. Four other companies in the U.S. are actively testing robo-taxis (Uber, Zoox/Amazon, Waymo/Google and Tesla).
3. Xiaomi, primarily known as a Chinese consumer electronics company, and a competitor to Apple, is now building incredible cars that are tightly integrated with their devices. Here's a review from yesterday by Marques Brownlee -
.
4. Apple is often a late entrant, and looks to improve upon first mover tech (mp3 players>iPod, wireless headphones>AirPods, mobile devices>iPhone, smart watches>Apple Watch etc.) but companies like Tesla have been refining their hardware and software for over a decade, so if Apple is going to act, the time is now.
5. Lucid is based in the U.S., not far from Apple (24 miles), and has its main factory in AZ. Proximity is a plus. Made in the USA is a plus.
6. Lucids are really great cars, that have amazing hardware engineering, but need better quality control and more reliable software. Apple can easily fulfill those needs (and you can bet CarPlay would work flawlessly). Plus, Apple has world-class product design skills to complement Lucid's.
7. Lucid's enterprise value is $5.3 billion, which, given Apple's cash reserves, is not much even when factoring in a buyout premium. For reference, Apple paid $3 billion ($4.11 billion in today's dollars) to buy Beats by Dre in 2014. Of course, post-purchase, Lucid will require further investment, which is still quite feasible given Apple's deep pockets.
8. Apple's brand would have an immediate halo effect on Lucid's brand.
9. Amazon, another competitor, has a 17% stake in Rivian.
10. The Saudi Public Investment Fund is having challenges with its portfolio and may be looking for an off-ramp in its investment in Lucid rather than having to put more money into the company and no near term prospects of profitability - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/business/pif-saudi-arabia-fund-problems.html
11. Bonus Reason - Tesla's enterprise value is $1.4 trillion, which shows that there's enormous upside for Apple if they get it right.
Click to expand...
12. Once self-driving technology reaches complete safety, vehicles could evolve into door-to-door mobile offices for long-distance commuters or mobile homes for overnight business and leisure travelers. A wide range of supporting innovations—such as advanced software, new devices, and technologies like wireless charging roads—would be needed to make these experiences seamless. This emerging ecosystem could spark a massive business opportunity that would make even visionaries like Steve Jobs marvel.

Lucid is well positioned to benefit from this shift, thanks to its emphasis on ride comfort, luxury amenities, and cutting-edge design.
 
Alternatively, and I know this will never happen, I do legitimately believe Facebook should buy Lucid.

They have money. They could have a US based hardware manufacturing group. It’s a place for them to show off the AI platform they are building. Facebook gets a hardware platform/ai platform and Lucid gets a new rich daddy who is good at software. Plus Zuck gets to creep into Elon’s turf and you know he would love it.

Again, will never happen. But if we are selling Lucid off that’s the home that makes the most sense to me.
 
Stevie Bee said:
Wouldn't letting it go bankrupt be short-sighted if another company offered them a decent offer? Not doing so is cutting off your nose to spite your face. I don't want to get in the weeds, but perhaps the PIF could be minority shareholders, or there would be assurances about maintaining manufacturing in Saudi Arabia.
Click to expand...
Saudi doesn’t care how long it takes. They want to diversify from oil and need jobs for their citizens. They will never sell Lucid. They are building a supply center as well. Hyundai will also start manufacturing there in a few years. BMW committed as well.
 
The PIF won’t sell Lucid, it’s pride-motivated for them, even if it’s burning through cash for the time being and the near future.
Instead of Apple acquiring Lucid, there’s a huge potential for strong collaboration between the two as I explained in my thread a while back; Lucid builds superior hardwire with excellent efficiency and packaging, but lacks on the software side, where Apple can chime in and complete the product with their software aka CarPlay Ultra.
 
Apple is not buying Lucid. Let's get that out of the way.

If they were to buy Lucid, the first thing they'd do is kill the company and bring one or two of the head engineers into the fold. They'd fire everyone else immediately and shut down everything.

Then, about five years later, they'd ship an Apple car that utilizes some of the engineering expertise they got from Emad and whoever else in engineering they kept around.

That's what Apple does with companies it acquires generally. There are some exceptions, like Logic, but for the most part, they don't buy companies to keep them running or to immediately repackage them with their logo.

There's little doubt Apple was up to SOMETHING revolving around cars for several years. That's all we know. Project Titan was a thing, and it had something to do with cars.

Forget all the stupid rumor sites and YouTube videos with their hot takes on what Apple was actually up to, because the Apple rumor mill is 99.9999999% nonsense. Despite the occasional leak (mostly within a few weeks or months of actual shipping) Apple still runs a pretty tight ship.

We have no idea if they were planning on actually shipping a car for people to buy. Whether they were working on a software platform for other cars. Whether it was all about autonomous driving, whether they were planning on a ride sharing service (sort of like Robotaxis, only subscription-based, which is my personal gut feeling as the most likely scenario). We don't know.

What we do know is Apple only enters markets when they think they have something unique and advanced to offer. If there's something they can provide that's better than anything out there.

Selling yet another EV that happens to be very good at being a driver's car doesn't strike me as the big picture plan for a company like Apple. They were likely looking to revolutionize the space in some way. And the way I look at it, Lucid would get them no closer to that goal, even if they were still interested in doing this, which they are clearly not, having shuttered Project Titan several months ago.

Lucid's ADAS is good, but it's not ahead of others in the field. And it's heavily based on partnerships, anyway.

We know Apple wouldn't be interested in Lucid's software at all. They have enough bugs of their own.

And then there's the elephant in the room: The Saudi ownership. Doesn't feel to me like the PIF would be interested in selling. Apple could get around that, I suppose, with enough money. But why?

They'd be better off poaching whatever engineers they want from Lucid with a decent salary offer. Or go after the now many former engineers who have left Lucid.

That's my take, anyway. This rumor will never die. But it doesn't make any sense, and it likely never will.

Just like the vast majority of Apple rumors.
 
Setting aside Apple buying Lucid for a moment (I personally think that would awesome, but I highly doubt it will happen).....

I watched the entire video. That car looks awesome. The specs are fantastic. And so is the software / interface. It was so cool when replicating the phone screen on the main display infotainment. I have not even thought about this, let alone seeing it is possible. And the navigation voice behind the headrest too... such an awesome idea. It is amazing what the Chinese have accomplished, and (my guess is) will continue to do so.
 
joec said:
Apple is not buying Lucid. Let's get that out of the way.

If they were to buy Lucid, the first thing they'd do is kill the company and bring one or two of the head engineers into the fold. They'd fire everyone else immediately and shut down everything.

Then, about five years later, they'd ship an Apple car that utilizes some of the engineering expertise they got from Emad and whoever else in engineering they kept around.

That's what Apple does with companies it acquires generally. There are some exceptions, like Logic, but for the most part, they don't buy companies to keep them running or to immediately repackage them with their logo.

There's little doubt Apple was up to SOMETHING revolving around cars for several years. That's all we know. Project Titan was a thing, and it had something to do with cars.

Forget all the stupid rumor sites and YouTube videos with their hot takes on what Apple was actually up to, because the Apple rumor mill is 99.9999999% nonsense. Despite the occasional leak (mostly within a few weeks or months of actual shipping) Apple still runs a pretty tight ship.

We have no idea if they were planning on actually shipping a car for people to buy. Whether they were working on a software platform for other cars. Whether it was all about autonomous driving, whether they were planning on a ride sharing service (sort of like Robotaxis, only subscription-based, which is my personal gut feeling as the most likely scenario). We don't know.

What we do know is Apple only enters markets when they think they have something unique and advanced to offer. If there's something they can provide that's better than anything out there.

Selling yet another EV that happens to be very good at being a driver's car doesn't strike me as the big picture plan for a company like Apple. They were likely looking to revolutionize the space in some way. And the way I look at it, Lucid would get them no closer to that goal, even if they were still interested in doing this, which they are clearly not, having shuttered Project Titan several months ago.

Lucid's ADAS is good, but it's not ahead of others in the field. And it's heavily based on partnerships, anyway.

We know Apple wouldn't be interested in Lucid's software at all. They have enough bugs of their own.

And then there's the elephant in the room: The Saudi ownership. Doesn't feel to me like the PIF would be interested in selling. Apple could get around that, I suppose, with enough money. But why?

They'd be better off poaching whatever engineers they want from Lucid with a decent salary offer. Or go after the now many former engineers who have left Lucid.

That's my take, anyway. This rumor will never die. But it doesn't make any sense, and it likely never will.

Just like the vast majority of Apple rumors.
Click to expand...
My intent wasn't to spread a rumor. I'm speaking in hypotheticals and as a thought exercise. I have no idea what Apple or the PIF's plans are or were. I agree that if Apple were to acquire the company, they'd probably do a ground up rewrite of the software. The point I was trying to make is that Lucid has a strong base in place in terms of a good product that needs some polishing, and assembly lines. That's a great start. Apple is doing well, but like every company, they also need to find ways to grow. Their challenge is that due to their size, those wins need to be huge to make a real impact on their bottom line. Their VR goggles look like they're not going to be the next big thing. So, what other bets can they make? If I were looking around at options, I'd risk $15-$20 billion (just a guess) with the potenial upside of it turning into a trillion. (Give me my rose gold Lucid 17 Pro!). Of course, I have no idea if the PIF would even entertain a sale...Oh, and I also agree that most of what Apple tends to do is build from scratch in-house, or 'acqui-hire' when necessary - but, like Beats, they have made exceptions.
 
Britishlion said:
That would be fabulous, then my Gravity would immediately get Apple car play!! Which I desperately miss (and was told by the sales associate in January would be included on Gravity )!
Click to expand...
Don't count your chickens, Lol! Air and Gravity are built on Android Automotive and Gravity doesn't have Android Auto out the box 😂

I was told mobile key, CarPlay and Android Auto would be coming in September by my delivery team and look how well that worked out. We've learnt time and time again in here, do not believe what people on the floor tell you when it comes to future releases.
 
BrianBigNFun said:
Lucid and Uber already have a deal in place

lucidmotors.com

Lucid, Nuro & Uber Launch Robotaxis | Lucid Motors

Lucid, Nuro & Uber team up to launch 20,000+ next‑gen Level 4 autonomous Lucid Gravity robotaxis starting in 2026 exclusively via Uber.
lucidmotors.com lucidmotors.com
Click to expand...
True. Nuro is developing the self-driving tech and Lucid is providing the cars. It helps Lucid sell more vehicles (to Uber), which is great. Apple should get in on it, but not just as the provider of the hardware, but also the self-driving tech. RJ Scaringe, the CEO of Rivian, believes we'll see autonomous vehicles that can drive without passengers by the end of the decade, and he's extremely bullish and sees it as a huge opportunity. He even uses the iPhone as an example of the convergence of many different technologies. -
 
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