Lucid Motors has opened its first Innovation Center in Saudi Arabia, partnering with King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) to focus on EV research in the Kingdom.
“This center is designed to shape the future of Lucid‘s technology while supporting the Kingdom’s ambition to become a hub for sustainable technology and innovation,” interim Chief Executive Officer Marc Winterhoff wrote on LinkedIn on Wednesday.
The Innovation Center adds to Lucid‘s growing R&D presence in the Kingdom, where the company is also investing in a separate research and development (R&D) center in Riyadh.
US Innovation Hub
In June, the company held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Innovation Hub in Phoenix, Arizona, at a facility previously used by the recently bankrupted EV maker Nikola.
Lucid had announced in April that it had acquired select Nikola facilities and assets in Arizona, including the former manufacturing facility in Coolidge and the Phoenix facility that had served as Nikola’s headquarters and product development center.
The acquisition added more than 884,000 square feet to Lucid’s Arizona operations.
3-City Retail Footprint Complete
Lucid simultaneously opened a new showroom in Al Khobar, completing its presence across Saudi Arabia’s three largest regions.
The opening of the fifth showroom in the Middle East region had been teased last week, as reported by EV.
“With 60+ studios worldwide now, we are bringing our award-winning EV technology and premium ownership experience to more customers every day,” Winterhoff wrote on the same LinkedIn post.
The Al Khobar opening marks Lucid’s fifth studio in the Middle East. The company also operates two locations in the United Arab Emirates — in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Lucid’s Middle East President Faisal Sultan said earlier this year that the company plans to expand into one or two new GCC countries annually in the coming years, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE serving as its “core markets” in the region.
Saudi Production Expansion
Lucid has been assembling vehicles in Saudi Arabia since September 2023 at a semi-knockdown facility in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC).
The company is currently upgrading the plant to manufacture vehicles entirely on-site, with full production expected to begin late next year.
The facility is targeting a capacity of up to 150,000 units per year.
Lucid plans to export from KAEC to Middle East and Gulf Cooperation Council countries, as well as European and Asian markets — excluding China.
