Electric Automaker Lucid Group Opens its 21st U.S. Studio Location in Southern California

author: FutureCar Staff    

The Lucid Studios allow customers to experience the Lucid Air sedan up close and learn about the company's advanced EV technology.

Luxury-electric vehicle startup Lucid Group announced the official opening of its newest Studio location at the Fashion Island shopping center in Newport Beach, CA. The location is Lucid's 21st Lucid Studio in the U.S. Each serves as a showroom for the Lucid Air sedan, as well as a space where customers can learn more about the company's advanced electric powertrain technology.

The Newport Beach location further expands Lucid's presence in Southern California and throughout the country. It follows the recently opened Lucid Studios in Costa Mesa, CA; Chicago, IL and Houston, TX.

Most of the Lucid Studio locations are in major cities, including Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Washington DC. The Studios will support Lucid's "direct to customer" sales strategy, which was pioneered by electric automaker Tesla.

The Washington DC location opened in Nov 2021 and followed the opening of the Lucid Studio in Florida and another in New York City.

Among the notable Lucid Studio locations is the one at Lucid Group's Global Headquarters in Newark, California.

"Our latest series of openings help us further one of our core principles: delivering an ownership experience of the highest standard," said Zak Edson, Vice President of Sales and Service of Lucid. "We will continue to expand our physical presence in 2022 in order to introduce as many people as possible to the most advanced luxury EV in the world - all the while providing them with an unmatched customer experience."

Each Lucid Studio offers a digitally oriented luxury experience tailored to each customer's preferences, whether they visit in-person, make inquiries online, or a combination of the two. 

Without a network of dealerships like other automakers, the Lucid Studios offer the experience of seeing and touching a Lucid Air that's combined with what Lucid calls "an elevated digital experience". 

The locations also serve as in-person design centers, where customers can go to see the Lucid Air sedan up close and select from the various vehicle options, as well as place their order. 

All of the Lucid Studios feature a minimalist aesthetic and most are located in upscale shopping districts.

The Studios also feature the "Lucid Motors Virtual Reality (VR) Experience", which includes a physical display where customers can put on a VR headset while sitting behind the wheel (in the same seats that are found in the production models) of a stationary VR simulator. It allows customers to virtually sit behind and interact with the vehicle's driver controls as if they were in the actual car. The VR configurator also allows customers to finalize options such as interior finishes, materials and exterior colors and view them in VR.

The Lucid Motors Virtual Reality (VR) Experience. (Photo: Lucid Motors)

Depending on the configuration, the various Lucid Air models are priced from $77,400 to $169,000 for the limited edition Air Dream Edition, which despite its high price tag, is already sold out.

The Lucid Air sedan now comes in three configurations. The lineup includes the very well-equipped Lucid Air Pure starting at $77,400; the Lucid Air Touring, which starts at $95,000; and the Lucid Air Grand Touring, starting at $139,000. All three are eligible for the federal EV tax credit of $7,500.

The Lucid Air sedan is being built at Lucid's newly completed factory in Casa Grande, Arizona. The company calls the new facility "Lucid AMP-1", which stands for Advanced Manufacturing Plant. Lucid says its Arizona EV factory is the first-ever dedicated solely for electric vehicle production in North America.

Customers shopping for the ultra-luxurious Lucid Air sedan can get some help with financing from lender Bank of America. Lucid announced in December that customers can apply for financing directly through its preferred lending partner Bank of America online or use Lucid's dedicated concierge service when ordering a Lucid Air.

Lucid recently started the first deliveries of the Air sedan and said in November it has more than 17,000 reservations. However, the Lucid Air priced well over the budget of most car buyers, so the preferred lending partnership with Bank of America may help Lucid to sell more vehicles. 

Bank of America is one of the biggest auto lenders in the U.S. The offers 60-month new car loans in California with an APR as low as 2.29%. However the actual loan terms will depend on an individual's credit history and income.

FutureCar Staff