Saudi-made Lucid built without compromise, says Middle East president

Arab News

4 days ago

RIYADH: Faisal Sultan, the president of Lucid Motors in the Middle East, has been a key figure driving the region's electric vehicle transformation.
With a background in automotive engineering and business leadership, Faisal is at the forefront of Lucid's expansion, including the company's first international manufacturing facility in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Lucid started off as a battery company, Atieva, based in Silicon Valley in California and then moved into motor manufacturing.
'But we are really a technological company — a technology company, as I call it. So, you know, we are very much all about, you know, bringing new technology into luxury vehicles and giving an option where we're not compromising anything,' Sultan said.
He added that Lucid's current slogan is 'compromise nothing.' The way the company started off is from their founders' vision where the EV manufacturer wanted to make sure that the customer gained a product with amazing range —their car has the fastest battery charging time of any vehicle so customers do not face an inconvenience when charging the vehicle. The Lucid Air charges more than 300 km in just 10 minutes, which is nearly 40 percent faster than their competitors.
'So, if you have a DC fast charger — a 350-kilowatt or a 400-kilowatt charger — a Lucid Air will definitely give you 300 km plus within 10 or 11 minutes of charging time. Our closest competitors will probably be around 15 to 20 minutes,' Sultan said.
He said this reduces the average electric vehicle charging time by about 40 percent. 'And it is that initial charge, the speed of the initial charge, that matters most because, as Saudi Arabia is going to get more infrastructure installed, we want the customer to park the car quickly, charge enough kilometers on it, and then move on. Because they don't want to be plugged in for 40 minutes or 30 minutes,' he said.
'As a part of our agreement with Human Resources Development Fund, we are looking at an investment of $50 million in human capital for over 1,000 Saudi employees.'
Sultan said the goal is to have the longest-range vehicle — Lucid Air can deliver 838 km on a single charge. He added that everything the company has learned from Lucid Air is perfected in the Lucid Gravity, the company's new all-electric SUV designed for adventure and family travel as well as their upcoming midsize sedan that will be revealed soon.
'Lucid Gravity is a seven-seater SUV — a full-size luxury SUV. It is going to be state of the art, with ride-height adjustment, four-wheel drive. The space will be unmatched. Interior space — all the seats actually fold down and become a flatbed in the back. So, you know, combine that with all the other conveniences that I've already mentioned for the Lucid Air, it becomes an amazing product.
'It's already won a few awards in North America,' he added. 'Within a few months of the launch, we expect it to continue to dazzle our other consumers here in the GCC also.'
There are a lot of things happening in the world right now, he said, that make sense for Lucid to have its first international manufacturing plant in Saudi Arabia. Located in King Abdullah Economic City, the facility is the Kingdom's first car manufacturing plant with a capacity to manufacture 150,000 cars to meet demands.
'You know, the free trade agreements that Saudi has. But quite honestly, when we decided, you know, two years ago to put this plant here, it also made a lot of sense at that time because of the geographical location of Saudi Arabia — it's kind of the center of the world, if you think about it. And if you have a manufacturing plant, you have the Red Sea,' he said.
He added that the Red Sea has about 15 percent of global trade passing through it. 'So, it really makes sense to have a plant right on the port on the Red Sea, which can then produce and distribute the product all over the world,' he said.
Sultan added that the second reason stems from Saudi Vision 2030 and the transformation that the country is going through. 'That transformation aligns perfectly with the vision of Lucid, which is sustainability, which is the progress of human capital. All of those are pillars of Vision 2030. So, what we wanted to do is really benefit from that because if the values of the country are aligning with your brand and with your company, then it's much easier to bring a project here and get it done,' Sultan said.
Saudi Vision 2030 has set a target of 30 percent of vehicles in Riyadh to be electric by 2030. The Kingdom is also investing in EV infrastructure with plans to install 5,000 EV charging points by 2030.
Sultan said Lucid is very proud to be the first automotive brand to have the 'Saudi Made' brand badge on their cars.
'We are already assembling these cars — as you know, the Lucid Air — and now the Lucid Gravity has also started to be assembled in the Kingdom.'
He believes that fact establishes an emotional connection and certifies how Lucid is really embedded in the auto ecosystem of Saudi Arabia and has catalyzed the formation of an auto industry.
'That's a badge that will always remain very dear to our workforce and our consumers at the same time. A lot of our customers come in, and they're so proud to be buying a Saudi-made product. It is amazing to see that nationalistic pride in play,' he said.
Sultan has always been enamored by cars since playing with toy cars and taking them apart to see how they were made. That curiosity led him to become an automotive engineer.
'I got my mechanical engineering degree, and then from there, I always wanted to be in automotive, I've got about 28 years now in automotive companies. And I think I love what I do because, you know, automotive really motivates me.'