Lucid Announces Expansion Into Chinese Market

The world's largest car market has an appetite for luxury and Lucid's not ruling out local production either.

Lucid will expand its operations to include the enormous Chinese auto market, according to a recent Reuters interview with its new head of China operations Zhu Jiang. Mr. Zhu comes with a wealth of experience gained from stints at BMW, MINI, Lexus, NIO and overseeing the launch of the Mustang Mach-E at Ford.

Lucid and China: A Perfect Match
The Chinese auto market, which registered nearly 26.9 million new vehicles sold in 2022, could prove a perfect match for Lucid's brand of luxury electric vehicles. Chinese buyers still enjoy a good full-size sedan and there's a strong appetite for luxury products too. Expansion into China could help move a large number of Lucid Airs, which the manufacturer has been struggling to shift on its home turf.

Lucid has already established its Chinese headquarters but it is unclear how far along the process is, or when Chinese buyers can begin ordering and taking delivery of their new EV super-sedans.

Initially all Airs sold in China will be assembled at AMP-1 in Arizona, though Lucid opening a more local production facility isn't out of the question. Zhu declined to comment on this topic during the interview but another unnamed source told Reuters that the US automaker was considering plans for a Chinese factory.

If that turns out the be the case the factory would be Lucid's third behind AMP-1 and the AMP-2 facility which is under construction in King Abdullah Economic City in Saudi Arabia. That facility plans to start production by reassembling knock-down kits shipped from the States before beginning production proper in 2025 or 2026. Deliveries of American-made Lucid Airs are currently underway to buyers in the Kingdom.

Related Story: Lucid Air GT Wins 20-Minute Fast-Charging Test

Images by Lucid Motors licensed by CC BY 4.0.

James Walker is an Automotive Journalist at Torque News focusing on Lucid Motors. If it's got wheels he's interested, and he's looking forward to seeing what kind of cars the EV revolution brings us. Whether it's fast, slow, new, or old, James wants to have a look around it and share it in print and on video, ideally with some twisty roads involved. You can connect with James on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.