Lucid interim CEO Marc Winterhoff said the electric vehicle maker maintains a competitive edge over Chinese rivals in ride comfort and driving dynamics, despite being impressed by the progress China’s auto industry has made in recent years.
“I was in China not too long ago at the Shanghai Auto Show and was impressed with how much they’ve come of age in the past few years,” Winterhoff said in an interview with Fox Business on Monday. After test-driving several models, he added, “We at Lucid definitely still have an edge when it comes to ride comfort and driving dynamics,” noting, “We’re still on a different planet there.”
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Winterhoff said the U.S. needs to continue innovating in the EV space to keep pace with developments in China. His comments follow Lucid’s recently announced partnership with Uber to deploy 20,000 electric robotaxis over the next six years using Nuro’s Level 4 self-driving technology.
Lucid also received a $300 million investment from Uber. “That’s a vote of confidence into Lucid,” Winterhoff said.
Lucid reported record deliveries for the sixth straight quarter, with 3,309 vehicles delivered in Q2, bringing the first-half total to nearly 6,500. The company produced 6,075 vehicles in the first six months of the year at its AMP-1 plant in Casa Grande, Arizona, and reaffirmed its 2025 target of 20,000 units.
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When asked if production and deliveries would improve in the second half, Winterhoff replied, “Yes, absolutely.” He said the Gravity SUV rollout had experienced some early hurdles but is now gaining momentum.
According to Winterhoff, around 50% of Lucid’s new customers are former Tesla owners. “People are looking for something new, with better tech. Tesla hasn’t changed much,” he said.
He also addressed Lucid’s proposed reverse stock split, calling it “more of a technical move to reduce volatility,” rather than a defensive measure. “We want to attract long-term investors,” Winterhoff told.