Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
Chinese EV brands should not be underestimated despite their lag in powertrain technology and the substantial state support they receive, Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson suggested in a recent interview.
When asked if the Chinese cars are ahead of the ones available in North America, Rawlinson said, “In some ways, yes, and in some ways, surprisingly not,” before reaffirming, “They’re certainly heavily subsidized by central governments.”
In June, Lucid’s Chief executive had already expressed his opinion on Chinese competitors claiming “the degree of government support and incentivization that the Chinese automakers receive is nothing like what we see in the West.”
In his most recent interview for the “Cars and Culture” podcast, Pete Rawlinson said, “I think the Chinese do have a fundamental advantage because when the government says go, they all go in the same direction instead of arguing with each other. I think this is a sort of the curse of the Western world right now.”
“There’s a sense of there’s a sense of urgency and unity and unquestioning direction that you get in that culture, which we lack here in the West,” the executive added before detailing the technologies in which the Chinese competitors have surpassed the American brands.
“But they’ve moved on immeasurably in terms of many of their attributes. I think they’re really world-leading in terms of LFP cell chemistry and some of the user interfaces. Amazing how they insert the car’s situational awareness in ADAS within a 3D map environment,” Rawlinson noted.
“Very impressed with that. And we want to get to that very soon. So they’re ahead of us at the moment in that,” Lucid’s CEO admitted before advising to not underestimate the Chinese rivals.
“I’d say they’re still behind in terms of the core EV powertrain technology but don’t underestimate them,” Rawlinson warned.
In the same interview, Lucid’s CEO criticized the quality of electric vehicles available in the U.S., stating that many Americans have found their experiences with EVs underwhelming.
Regarding Lucid‘s upcoming model, the SUV Gravity, Rawlinson claims it will offer a well-rounded blend of range, performance, space, and handling.
On Thursday, the company opened customer orders in the U.S. for its second model, the Lucid Gravity.
The model lineup begins with the Grand Touring variant, available now for pre-order starting at $94,900. Fully loaded, the Gravity costs about $125,000.
This higher-end trim is projected to deliver 828 horsepower and a projected range surpassing 440 miles, according to the EV maker.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
