Saudi-backed electric vehicle maker Lucid Motors is preparing to open a new showroom in Abu Dhabi, marking its fourth retail location in the Middle East.
The company posted a teaser image on LinkedIn on Sunday with the message: “Lucid is coming to Abu Dhabi. Ready to take the wheel?” The post added, “Get ready for the Lucid experience, now closer than you think.”
Until now, the nearest Lucid studio for customers in Abu Dhabi was located 140 km (87 miles) away in Dubai’s City Walk area.
The two other studios in the region are located in Saudi Arabia: one in Jeddah and the other in Riyadh.
Lucid is currently assembling both of its models at its facility in Saudi Arabia. The company is now upgrading the plant to support full vehicle production, aiming to bring it in line with the capabilities of its main manufacturing site in Casa Grande, Arizona.
In May, Lucid’s interim Chief Executive Officer Marc Winterhoff said the company was preparing to enter multiple new Middle Eastern markets “very soon”, including Qatar.
“We have started Abu Dhabi and we’re looking into Qatar and other additional markets coming very soon,” Winterhoff told Bloomberg during the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh.
Winterhoff also urged Saudi Arabia to consider imposing tariffs on foreign vehicles to support the domestic electric vehicle industry.
The German executive warned on the same interview against the risk of “killing the industry in its infancy.”
“It doesn’t mean that this has to go on forever, but in order to have that kind of change in the market, you need to support local players in the beginning.”
He added that Lucid had held discussions with the Saudi government on the matter, without providing any further details.
Lucid counts Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) as its largest shareholder, with a stake of approximately 60%.
Last month, Lucid promoted Faisal Sultan to President for the Middle East, following his previous role as the company’s managing director for the region.
Earlier this month, the EV maker announced a partnership with global chauffeur service Blacklane to deploy both its EV models, Air and Gravity, in Saudi Arabia.
