Lucid Motors Casa Grande Plant

More information on Lucid's Casa Grande production facility can be found in this press release:

Lucid Motors Marks Start of Construction at Arizona Electric Vehicle Factory Site
Advanced manufacturing facility to build multiple vehicles, bring thousands of jobs and billions in revenue impact to Casa Grande and Pinal County
CASA GRANDE, AZ, December 2, 2019 — Lucid Motors, together with Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, the Arizona Commerce Authority, and local officials, today celebrated the start of construction of its electric vehicle manufacturing facility in Casa Grande, AZ. The first phase of factory construction, representing an investment of over $300 million, is scheduled for completion in late 2020 in readiness for the start of production of Lucid’s first car, the Lucid Air luxury sedan.
The event, designated a “ground-building” ceremony because it serves as a symbol of Lucid’s long-term commitment to the region, celebrates not only the start of construction but also Lucid’s plan for continuous growth and future products.
“The Lucid Air is a cutting-edge electric vehicle designed, engineered, and destined for manufacture entirely in America,” said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO, Lucid Motors. “We are proud to be moving forward on our commitment to manufacturing the Lucid Air in Casa Grande. With supportive investors, an outstanding team of designers and engineers, and a product strategy that extends well beyond the Air, we expect today to be just the start of a longstanding presence in this dynamic city.”
“Attracting a high-tech automotive manufacturer like Lucid Motors to Arizona is a testament to the talent, business environment, and geographic location our state has to offer innovative companies to help them succeed,” said Arizona Governor Doug Ducey. “I congratulate Lucid Motors, Casa Grande, and Pinal County on achieving this milestone and look forward to seeing the first vehicles roll off the production line.”
The factory is expected to have a positive economic impact on the city, county, and state, including:

• Approximately 4,800 direct and indirect jobs by 2029
• Over $700 million in capital investment by Lucid by the mid-2020s
• An estimated $32 billion revenue impact for the city and county over a 20-year period
• Training programs and new curriculums at local community colleges

“We are pleased that a company on the cutting edge of technology and innovation such as Lucid chose to build their manufacturing facility in Casa Grande,” said Casa Grande Mayor Craig McFarland. “Not only will Lucid bring thousands of good paying jobs to the area, but it also anchors our efforts to attract additional high-tech businesses to the region and develop a highly skilled workforce for advanced manufacturing.”
“The partnership and cooperation it took to bring Lucid here is something we are proud of as a region,” Pinal County Board of Supervisors Chairman Mike Goodman said. “Lucid and its automotive vision and technology fits in well as one of our targeted sectors we want to bring to the area. The Pinal County Board of Supervisors is proud to welcome Lucid, and we look forward to a long partnership together.”
Lucid chose the Casa Grande, Arizona, location for its factory after an extensive search across 13 US states and more than 60 sites. Lucid selected Arizona based upon numerous positive factors, including business climate, infrastructure, talent, geographic location, and the automotive supply chain in the Arizona-Sonora region.
About Lucid Motors
Lucid’s mission is to inspire the adoption of sustainable transportation by creating the most captivating electric vehicles, centered around the human experience. The company’s first car, the Lucid Air, is a state-of-the-art luxury sedan, featuring a California-inspired design underpinned by race-proven technology. Featuring luxurious interior space in a mid-size exterior footprint, the Air will be capable of over 400 miles range and 0-60 mph in under 2.5 seconds. Production of the Lucid Air will begin in late 2020 in Lucid’s new factory in Casa Grande, Arizona.

Lucid Motors' methodical manufacturing plan is all outlined here.

The U.S. auto industry is spreading west, with electric vehicle companies opening factories far from Detroit, in places like California, Arizona and Texas.
Why it matters: With hundreds of millions of dollars in fresh capital, along with newly issued public stock symbols, many are unproven newcomers with ambitions to become the next Tesla.
Among them is Lucid Motors, whose CEO is a Tesla alum wary of the "production hell" his former boss, Elon Musk, famously described while trying to launch Model 3.

• "Why boast about something you've not done very well?" Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson tells Axios in an interview.
• "Production hell means you didn't plan very well," adds Lucid's vice president of manufacturing, Peter Hochholdinger, a former Audi manufacturing executive who left Tesla in mid-2019 in the midst of its struggles.

Instead, Rawlinson describes Lucid's manufacturing strategy like a chess game, with lots of moving pieces and one move dependent on the next.

• The planned factory, on 500 acres in Casa Grande, Arizona, one day will be capable of making 400,000 cars a year.
• But right now, Lucid has just one electric luxury sedan, the Lucid Air. It plans to produce 7,000 this year, and eventually 34,000 annually.

"We don't want to spend $1 billion on a factory for 400,000 units and have all that capital tied up," says Rawlinson.

• So Lucid is building its factory in phases, as needed, similar to "just-in-time" supply chains.
• Its next model, an SUV called Project Gravity, is coming in 2023, with expected production of 85,000-90,000 units, says Rawlinson. By then, phase two of the factory will be complete.
• By the end of the decade, all four phases will be completed, he says.

The complexity of it all is huge, and not without significant risk, Rawlinson admits.

• "We have a new plant, a new vehicle platform, a new powertrain, new people and now, tragically, we have a pandemic."