Lucid Opens Swanky Flagship NYC Studio

EV automaker Lucid may not have a vehicle on the road yet but the company has made sure it doesn't stay out of the headlines for too long. Recently, it televised its first commercial for the Air sedan,strategically showing the adduring Elon Musk's appearance on Saturday Night Live. Now, the company has more news to share.

After the unveiling of its newstudio in South Floridalate last year, the company has announced the opening of its flagship NYC Studio in the Meatpacking District. The validation builds of theAir sedanhave also begun, following the completion of pre-production builds.

The new NYC Studio joins a previous location in Chicago, further expanding Lucid's presence. While the Air sedan will launch in the second half of 2021 - with 10,000 paid reservations already having been received - the company'sGravity SUVis expected to go on sale in the second half of 2023. To facilitate the success of both vehicles, Lucid aims to develop a dedicated assembly line for the Gravity at its Arizona facility. By 2023, it also wants to increase production of the Air sedan to approximately 53,000 units per year.

"The updates from Lucid Motors today reinforce the strong interest and demand from consumers for electric vehicles that deliver new industry standards for efficiency and range, which has actually allowed us to accelerate and enhance our plans for development and production," said CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson.

When it arrives, the Air is expected to finally challenge the range and performance abilities of the Tesla Model S. Depending on the model, the Air will have a projected range of over 500 miles and is said to reach 60 mph in 2.5 seconds. That's not as quick as thenew Model S Plaidbut you'll have a hard time finding any other four-door luxury sedans that can keep up with the Air.