Lucid Motors, a cutting edge electric vehicle manufacture broke ground in Casa Grande. It was announced in November 2016 that Arizona landed the 700M autoplant. As a result, the new plant is expected to add up to 4800 direct and indirect jobs by 2029. Upon completion, the state of the art facility will begin producing the electric powered Lucid Air Luxury sedan. With construction underway, the first phase includes a 820,000 square foot building expected to employ 745 people. Additional construction will be based on sales of the cars. This strategic planning is part of the company’s budget allocation approach to smart growth.
Peter Rawlinson – CEO/CTO Lucid Motors
“The Lucid Air is a cutting-edge electric vehicle designed, engineered and destined for manufacture entirely in America,” said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO, Lucid Motors. “We are proud to be moving forward on our commitment to manufacturing the Lucid Air in Casa Grande. With supportive investors, an outstanding team of designers and engineers, and a product strategy that extends well beyond the Air, we expect today to be just the start of a longstanding presence in this dynamic city.”
Founded 10 years ago, Lucid Motors started as Atieva. The main focus was the electric car battery technology. However, in 2016, the company re-branded as Lucid Motors and moved to designing, engineering and manufacturing electric cars, entirely in America. Notably, the new facility in Casa Grande is estimated to produce $32 billion in tax revenue for the city and county over the next 20 years. Due to Casa Grande’s infrastructure, talent pool, location and the region’s automotive supply chain, Lucid Motors chose the city after considering over 60 other sites.
According to AZCentral.com, the first vehicles are due to roll off the production line in December 2020. Going forward, in 2021 the plant is projecting to produce 15,000 vehicles. Ultimately, by 2026, the company hopes to manufacture up 100,000 vehicles. Impressively, the Lucid Air will have a 400 mile range and go 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds. However, it will come at a steep price tag, mid range models start at $65,000 and top of the line models at $100,000.
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