CASA GRANDE, AZ — Lucid Motors Inc. on Tuesday said it is making the initial 80 prototype models of its first electric vehicle, the Air, ahead of a formal unveiling in New York in April.
The Newark, California, company is building the first batch of cars at a large manufacturing and lab space formerly occupied by failed blood-testing business Theranos Inc. It plans to start making the cars for sale during the fourth quarter of this year at a huge factory it is building in Casa Grande, south of Phoenix in Pinal County.
The prototypes built in the Bay Area will be used for comprehensive testing and validation of key vehicle dynamics, as well as crash testing to confirm numerous simulations that the company has done.
Lucid last year cut the cost of reserving an Air from $2,500 to $1,000. It said this week the first company stores where the cars will be sold are taking shape. It hasn't said yet exactly what the Air will cost or where its stores will be and has yet to detail the overall plan for its sales and service network. The reservation fee is fully refundable.
