Officials from electric vehicle startup Lucid Motors, which broke cover from stealth mode in October, made a joint appearance today with Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and Sonora, Mexico's Governor Claudia Pavlovich Arellano, to announce a manufacturing plant in Casa Grande, Arizona. The plant will begin production of Lucid's first car, an electric luxury sedan, in 2018, with parts being supplied from across the border in Sonora, Mexico.
Governor Ducey said the new plant will create 2,000 jobs by 2022, and that Lucid Motors has promised to prioritize hiring among Arizona veterans.
Lucid Motors has shown a very sophisticated operation for its entry as a new automaker, with its Chief Technology Officer, Peter Rawlinson, an alumni of Tesla and Lotus, and Vice President of Design Derek Jenkins having spent time at Mazda and Volkswagen. The as-yet unnamed first model will compete with the Tesla Model S as a luxury sedan, and should boast over 300 miles of range. Lucid has also designed connected features and self-driving capability into this car.
The new manufacturing plant will be built near the town of Casa Grande, about an hour south of Phoenix. Lucid Motors Director of Global Manufacturing Brian Barron said that would put it a short flight away from the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California. In addition to those facilities, Lucid Motors also maintains development shop in Fremont, California.
Governor Ducey took the opportunity to tout Arizona's business-friendly environment, saying that "government takes a back seat to innovation." Governor Arellano praised the economic partnership zone that includes Arizona and Sonora, creating production opportunities in her Mexican state.
Lucid Motors plans on showing off its production car on December 14.