On December 14, Lucid Motors have announced a new autonomous car which is bound to compete with Tesla. The new prototype for a luxury electric sedan bears more than a similar appearance with Tesla’s Model S. The reason becomes evident once people find out who developed it. Peter Rawlinson, who had previously led the development of Tesla’s electric car is currently working for Lucid Motors, being the chief technology officer.
The car company holds approximately three hundred employees, being located in Menlo Park. After many years of hard work in developing something revolutionary, the company has finally unveiled their new model during the ceremony of the Fremont workshop which occurred near Tesla’s factory. Even if none of the executives from Lucid Motors mentioned anything about their competitor, the new sumptuous sedan was developed based on the same ideas as Tesla’s prototype with some extra twists added.
The same principles were used in the making process of this new electric car as those utilized for the development of Tesla’s autonomous vehicles. The interior of the luxury sedan is equipped with an unnecessary amount of legroom, being the outcome of the minimizing process and re-engineering of the components of the suspension and electric motor. Thus, the back seats can recline over them.
The headlights represent a band which consists of ten separate lights, each of them being outfitted with 4,870 small lenses which were inspired by a fly’s eye. These lights are meant to pivot following the path of the car. For 2018, Lucid Motors will develop a plan to build its cars at a new factory which will be based in Arizona. The company will cost approximately $700 million.
The new vehicle called Lucid Air will be equipped with all the necessary technology to be used as a self-driving car. What is more, automakers want to develop a suitable prototype for everyone tastes, fulfilling the expectations of its customers and transforming driving into a pleasure. Derek Jenkins, the vice president of design at Lucid Motors, claimed that they need to use the latest innovations bound to take over the market, implementing them into a luxury car which will support self-driving and ride sharing.
The new self-driving vehicle was estimated to cost about $100,000 or even more, while the special Launch Edition was approximated at about $160,000.