Spent some time w/ Lucid Air this morning… impressions

[daveo4EV]

I also find it interesting - I've not seen a more clear example of engineering vs. design - I consider the Lucid to have excellent engineering but poor design…

the best companies seamlessly and effortlessly blend design/engineering such that it's really really hard to see where one part ends and another begins (Porsche, Apple, Ferarri) and they do it so well it looks easy

to my eye/opinion the Lucid is a failure of design and it will bring down the company

my daughter who major's in design at University of Washington visited the Lucid store in U-Village, and being a design major was horrified at the interior pallet options - she commented that if she or any of her design major cohorts turns that result in as a class project the critiques would be blistering - they lack cohesion, a point of view, and a design theme and instead mix all things for all people leading to a mess of materials/contrasts/textures/colors/juxtaposition

in any case she was like "Dad you're not going to get this are you?" I said no dear but we were late for dinner so I didn't spend anytime with the vehicles…

engineering matters
design matters

one informs the other

the best companies seamlessly blend this

other's not so much…

Sponsored

 

[AV7]

while at the dealership this morning I had some time to kill. Sales manager knows I'm an EV guys - walked me over to a Lucid Air and handed me the keys and suggested I check it while they dealt with some paperwork…

I was with a buddy so we decided to check out the Lucid…I did not drive it cause I was not interested in purchasing it - but did open/close/poke/prod/investigate almost everything I could with out driving it…

Highs

• spacious back seat
• software that is fast, usable, simple and across the board fantastic - way way way better than PCM
• best 3D surround view performance, quality, feature set I've seen in any vehicle - it was truly amazing how well they've done this aspect of the vehicle
• the main dash is a thing of functional beauty - big, bright easy to read, great features and display choices
• excellent massage seats - back and seat - good choices, good pressure - better than Porsche massage seats.
• seat comfort was ok - material colors/choices/mixture of textures/colors really really not my vibe.
• I didn't drive it - but I'll spot them it drives ok and has excellent industry leading range.
• 40 amp EVSE included with the vehicle
  • NEMA 14-50
  • 9.6 kW - has not been nerfed to 4.8 kW
  • smaller than PMC+/PMCC
  • lighter than PMC+/PMCC
  • apparently doesn't overheat or melt
• not really a "high" but the trunk is ok - but not great - but doesn't deserve to be in the "low" category

Lows

• it's even uglier in person than in photos - my opinion
• couldn't inspect the frunk - it wouldn't release
• you could NOT give me this car
• here is no way I'd spend Porsche money for this car, and it's not even Porsche cheap - it's more expensive than a Taycan
  • I wouldn't even spend Lexus/Acura money on this car - it's just so bad…
• it had 8,000 miles on it - dec. 2021 build according to the door sticker - vin #21xx
  • and the broken touch elements, knobs, dials, buttons etc's - were all loose, broken, dysfunctional or simply poorly design
• all the motorized elements (window shades, door handles, center screen retraction) were all wonky or disfunctional
• the key FOB has no obvious mechanism to operate it
• it took us 10 minutes to get the door handles to present - and we still don't know what we did to make it work
• the design pallet motif (colors, materials, textures, mixture) is an unmitigated disaster - OMG so bad
• build quality of the body panels - please stop giving Tesla crap - they are actually really good
  • and please please please don't tell me Tesla's are crap and then tell me you're buying a Lucid Air instead - you will lose _ALL_ credibility - it just means you hate Tesla (which is fine) but don't try and come up with a factual reason and then choose this piece of crap
• friend with me was appalled at the overall feel and quality - really really unfavorable impression
• many many elements of the car were worn/functional to a point that it seemed like the car had 150,000 miles on it - it only had 8,000 miles
• I just don't see how/why anyone would choose this car over: Taycan, BMW I7, Mercedes EQS, or Tesla Model 3 or Plaid
• it was traded in for a Cayenne Hybrid

after trade in - while sitting on lot for sale - it developed a leak - dealership sent vehicle to Lucid Service near Redwood City - it came back 4 weeks later - leak was supposedly "fixed" - started leaking again - back to the service shop - they have yet to fix it - asked dealership to take the car back while they wait for instructions/parts from Lucid (cause they are swamped) - but have no idea how to fix it - but it's a known issue and they are working on it - no ETA at this time.

I had a much better impression of Lucid Air before my time with an actual car this morning - I am no longer positive on the vehicle.

and I'm utterly confused by anyone that would swap a Taycan for this particular vehicle - I really don't see the appeal and while Taycan is not perfect - ummmm this is not the answer in my opinion.

if you don't like your Taycan - great - sorry to hear that - but I get ya - not yet perfect want something different - great - it's why we have choices - get rid of the Taycan and find something else - totally get it - right there with you! But your choice is Lucid Air? Now I'm confused - really really confused.

Did the same today! and I did get to drive a Lucid Air and get a chance to step on it. I took the test drive because I was curious, initially about 2 years ago but had never actually driven one. Agree with all your points and wanted to add some of my own observations.

spacious back seat

- agree this is a bonus but did you notice that the back door opens at a full 180 degrees when fully open so there is ample space to get in and out.

best 3D surround view performance, quality, feature set I've seen in any vehicle - it was truly amazing how well they've done this aspect of the vehicle

- this was truly exceptional, the number of cameras and angles really shows you everything around the car

the main dash is a thing of functional beauty - big, bright easy to read, great features and display choices

- The dash is well set but in my opinion nothing that was like wow, what I loved was when you used a turn signal the image of that side of the car comes up on the display - so you can see the blind spots without actually looking at your side view mirror. You can 'throw' the screen on the side panel to the right side of the main dash which is cool.

seat comfort was ok - material colors/choices/mixture of textures/colors really really not my vibe

- the car felt very average, felt actually dated even though it had the leather and all the options.

not really a "high" but the trunk is ok - but not great - but doesn't deserve to be in the "low" category

- Its the widest opening I have ever seen on a car(that is not a SUV). Weird in that its wide and then narrows on both sides where the wheels are. You could put your golf clubs width wise!

it's even uglier in person than in photos - my opinion

- could not agree more! Here are some pics I took with my car.

Wanted to compare dimensions of both cars

couldn't inspect the frunk - it wouldn't release

- this is huge! way bigger and more functional that the taycan's. And it is powered for opening and closing which is cool.

the key FOB has no obvious mechanism to operate it

- not sure what you mean here, did'nt have any issues. Apparently you get 2 keys and I believe 2 valet keys which you tap at something above you to get it into valet mode

the design pallet motif (colors, materials, textures, mixture) is an unmitigated disaster - OMG so bad

- agree! I absolutely hate the colors or lack of choice.

OPINIONS ON THE DRIVE:

Overall I was not wowed at all, in fact I felt more aged!
- Hate the way Regen works and yet it can be configured but still prefered the way Porsche has done it
- The drive height remains the same cannot be lowered or configured
- No sport sound
- The car had alot more road noise than I expected, I asked if it had privacy glass and was told that it was double panned. The road noise is terrible if that is the case.
- NO Android Auto or Carplay! - apparently that is coming on a future update.

It is quick when you step on it but in no ways does it feel like a sports car and I do not think I would feel safe with it on a race track.

It does get a lot of attention, when I was taking the pictures, two people came by and just started looking at it and even said 'this should give Tesla a run for their money', they did not even look at the Porsche! lol

 

[Mr.Smith]

I also find it interesting - I've not seen a more clear example of engineering vs. design - I consider the Lucid to have excellent engineering but poor design…

the best companies seamlessly and effortlessly blend design/engineering such that it's really really hard to see where one part ends and another begins (Porsche, Apple, Ferarri) and they do it so well it looks easy

to my eye/opinion the Lucid is a failure of design and it will bring down the company

my daughter who major's in design at University of Washington visited the Lucid store in U-Village, and being a design major was horrified at the interior pallet options - she commented that if she or any of her design major cohorts turns that result in as a class project the critiques would be blistering - they lack cohesion, a point of view, and a design theme and instead mix all things for all people leading to a mess of materials/contrasts/textures/colors/juxtaposition

in any case she was like "Dad you're not going to get this are you?" I said no dear but we were late for dinner so I didn't spend anytime with the vehicles…

engineering matters
design matters

one informs the other

the best companies seamlessly blend this

other's not so much…

You're very right about the engineering and design
Their marketing and target audience seems to be exclusively based on their engineering prowess

 

[daveo4EV]

Did the same today! and I did get to drive a Lucid Air and get a chance to step on it. I took the test drive because I was curious, initially about 2 years ago but had never actually driven one. Agree with all your points and wanted to add some of my own observations.

- agree this is a bonus but did you notice that the back door opens at a full 180 degrees when fully open so there is ample space to get in and out.

- this was truly exceptional, the number of cameras and angles really shows you everything around the car

- The dash is well set but in my opinion nothing that was like wow, what I loved was when you used a turn signal the image of that side of the car comes up on the display - so you can see the blind spots without actually looking at your side view mirror. You can 'throw' the screen on the side panel to the right side of the main dash which is cool.

- the car felt very average, felt actually dated even though it had the leather and all the options.

- Its the widest opening I have ever seen on a car(that is not a SUV). Weird in that its wide and then narrows on both sides where the wheels are. You could put your golf clubs width wise!

- could not agree more! Here are some pics I took with my car.

Wanted to compare dimensions of both cars

- this is huge! way bigger and more functional that the taycan's. And it is powered for opening and closing which is cool.

- not sure what you mean here, did'nt have any issues. Apparently you get 2 keys and I believe 2 valet keys which you tap at something above you to get it into valet mode

- agree! I absolutely hate the colors or lack of choice.

OPINIONS ON THE DRIVE:

Overall I was not wowed at all, in fact I felt more aged!
- Hate the way Regen works and yet it can be configured but still prefered the way Porsche has done it
- The drive height remains the same cannot be lowered or configured
- No sport sound
- The car had alot more road noise than I expected, I asked if it had privacy glass and was told that it was double panned. The road noise is terrible if that is the case.
- NO Android Auto or Carplay! - apparently that is coming on a future update.

It is quick when you step on it but in no ways does it feel like a sports car and I do not think I would feel safe with it on a race track.

It does get a lot of attention, when I was taking the pictures, two people came by and just started looking at it and even said 'this should give Tesla a run for their money', they did not even look at the Porsche! lol

thanks for this - I appreciate the hands on

I did not notice the rear door - but my 6' friend noticed the low opening on the doorway in the back - while head room while in the seat was good (but not expansive for 6') the door frame was quite low and with out ducking one's head it was at his eye brow's (which is quite low) with out ducking - he found it awkward to get in and out of - now in all fairness the ingress/egress of the Taycan is no cup of tea and one of the vehicle's weakest point in my opinion…so this alone doesn't rule something out.

but love the feedback and thanks for posting - I love data points.

 

[daveo4EV]

Did the same today! and I did get to drive a Lucid Air and get a chance to step on it. I took the test drive because I was curious, initially about 2 years ago but had never actually driven one. Agree with all your points and wanted to add some of my own observations.

- agree this is a bonus but did you notice that the back door opens at a full 180 degrees when fully open so there is ample space to get in and out.

- this was truly exceptional, the number of cameras and angles really shows you everything around the car

- The dash is well set but in my opinion nothing that was like wow, what I loved was when you used a turn signal the image of that side of the car comes up on the display - so you can see the blind spots without actually looking at your side view mirror. You can 'throw' the screen on the side panel to the right side of the main dash which is cool.

- the car felt very average, felt actually dated even though it had the leather and all the options.

- Its the widest opening I have ever seen on a car(that is not a SUV). Weird in that its wide and then narrows on both sides where the wheels are. You could put your golf clubs width wise!

- could not agree more! Here are some pics I took with my car.

Wanted to compare dimensions of both cars

- this is huge! way bigger and more functional that the taycan's. And it is powered for opening and closing which is cool.

- not sure what you mean here, did'nt have any issues. Apparently you get 2 keys and I believe 2 valet keys which you tap at something above you to get it into valet mode

- agree! I absolutely hate the colors or lack of choice.

OPINIONS ON THE DRIVE:

Overall I was not wowed at all, in fact I felt more aged!
- Hate the way Regen works and yet it can be configured but still prefered the way Porsche has done it
- The drive height remains the same cannot be lowered or configured
- No sport sound
- The car had alot more road noise than I expected, I asked if it had privacy glass and was told that it was double panned. The road noise is terrible if that is the case.
- NO Android Auto or Carplay! - apparently that is coming on a future update.

It is quick when you step on it but in no ways does it feel like a sports car and I do not think I would feel safe with it on a race track.

It does get a lot of attention, when I was taking the pictures, two people came by and just started looking at it and even said 'this should give Tesla a run for their money', they did not even look at the Porsche! lol

points for their Red however - it's gorgous! simply drop dead beautiful paint color.

 

[Archimedes]

The highest volume Mercedes dealer in the US, in the EV Meca of orange county had 3 of them collecting dust, no interest.

More concerning is this

https://insideevs.com/news/625692/l...dly-calling-canceling-clients-up-to-14-times/

That’s lunacy. I bet every call reduces, rather than increases, the chance of saving the order.

 

[NuJerzPorsche]

Lucid has to go back to the drawing board on the design ASAP. Other then that it’s a good car

 

[timo]

They look hideous. Saw one on the freeway today, hideous.

By comparison, the EQS looks way better in person. IMO of course.

 

[submatrix]

There was an interesting video from Out of Spec Detailing about the paint thinness on the Lucid:



or if you want the full 1.5 hour video (which I actually did watch):

I don't know much about car paint but it was interesting to see the various measurements they took around the car. At one point it was under 3mm thickness.

 

[DCYL725]

Kind of looks like an EV Camry, doesn't it?

 

[Fish Fingers]

Kind of looks like an EV Camry, doesn't it?

Personally, I think it looks hideous.

Way worse than a Camry. A massive slab sided barge.

That pic reminded me of that beauty - the Renault Avantime......
You know, the one all the schoolboys used to have posters of on their bedroom wall.

 

[whitex]

i own no position in lucid or plan to initiate one - i don’t control the investments of funds i’m in - so i may have indirect positions

But you might have bought or sold some option thought (technically not a position in lucid stock)?

 

[whitex]

that data point also from this week - this is a company in panic mode - and no actual chance of getting out of the tail spin

Yea, out of curiosity I looked on their site, they have multiple cars ready to be delivered around here - no wait. Then again, I've also started seeing a lot more new Taycans for sale, even open allocations without waitlists lately, so the whole automotive market is correcting fast (hence recent Carvana problems too - they did not anticipate demand, and therefore prices, dropping so quickly). I wouldn't count Lucid out just yet. They might make a good acquisition target, perhaps for Toyota who could use a leg-up in the EV world (their first EV's had its wheels fall off). Imagine a Lucid software and engineering combined with Toyota reliability and manufacturing quality.

Lucid is a brand new company. Manufacturing at scale is hard, Elon was not joking. I went through this teething stage with Tesla, which was one of the reasons I was reluctant to buy Lucid (that and it really doesn't look good to me, maybe the Air Saphire would be bearable given it's 1200+ hp). I probably dodged a bullet by not getting Lucid (after Tesla, I was going to lease the first Lucid). My next go to was going to be the EQS AMG, but it was not available earlier this year when I started to lose hope for a Taycan after a year and half wait and 4+ more years estimate wait (based on my place on waitlists and allocation rates).

PS> I actually think the EQS looks better than Lucid. EQS looks bland, boring. Air looks actually unattractive - the design language reminds of the Saturn car company. I cannot believe their marketing material actually features a brown car for their Dream edition. That said, maybe they are aiming at some old baby boomers who used to love their brown/golden Buicks. Or maybe their designer or some lead VC is pushing 80.

 

[NuJerzPorsche]

I also still don’t understand that two tone they are running with . Then to have it all the same color or blacked/shadowed out it’s like a $3-6k option? Why

 

[Needsdecaf]

Stopped by Tesla Houston service last week. The Lucid service center is next door Talk about inventory!