CNBC recently got a tour of Lucid Motors’ new factory in Casa Grande, Arizona, where it will build its luxury electric sedan, the Air. The first phase of the facility was completed in November 2020, about a year from when construction broke ground. Lucid is currently building “release candidates” of the Air as it prepares for full production. The company expects to deliver its first vehicle, the Air Dream Edition, this spring.
The company’s Arizona operations are split between two facilities. AMP-1, which houses vehicle production, and the powertrain factory, where the motor, battery pack, inverter and drive units are assembled. Lucid Motors’ CEO, Peter Rawlinson, told CNBC that when fully operational it will be able to produce a car every ten minutes.
Lucid is already preparing for phase two of its build-out, which will increase production capacity from 34,000 to 90,000 vehicles a year. The expansion will also accommodate the additional capacity needed for its upcoming Gravity SUV, which it hopes to deliver in summer 2023. In the coming years Lucid aims to expand the factory to make up to 400,000 vehicles per year.
Check out the video to get a look inside the factory.