Lucid and Fisker in the past week separately announced plans to sell vehicles in China soon.
The head of Lucid’s China operations confirmed to Reuters Thursday that the automaker was planning to enter the Chinese market. The Reuters report also cited an anonymous source with knowledge of Lucid’s plans, who said the automaker plans to sell imported cars but is considering local production. That hasn’t been publicly confirmed, however.
Chinese sales appear to have been considered from the beginning. Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson once told Green Car Reports that the Air luxury sedan’s reclining Executive Rear Seating option was designed partly with China in mind.
Fisker Ocean
Fisker said on Friday in a press release that it planned to open a “delivery center” in China later this year, and would begin deliveries of its Ocean electric SUV in the country in the first quarter of 2024. Fisker claims to be one of only two international brands (the other is presumably Tesla) that are “viable alternatives to traditional brands” in China.
China is the world’s largest new-car market, with particularly strong EV sales. Unlike most foreign automakers looking to break into the Chinese market, however, the two U.S.-based startup automakers have not publicly discussed plans to assemble cars in China.
Lucid Gravity testing
Lucid builds the Air at its own factory in Arizona, and plans to start manufacturing the Gravity SUV there as well in 2024. Fisker relies on contract manufacturers. The Ocean is assembled by Magna in Austria, while the planned Fisker Pear is slated to be built by Foxconn in Ohio.
Separately, Lucid reported that it has started deliveries of the Air in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) recently again upped its stake in Lucid. The automaker in 2022 announced plans for a factory in Saudi Arabia, to open in 2025, while the Saudi government about a month later confirmed a deal to purchase up to 100,000 Lucid EVs over a 10-year period.
