Lucid Group has opened its car manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia, a first for the country. This is Lucid’s second “Advanced Manufacturing Plant” (called AMP-2) and its first international plant. The U.S.-based company will use the Saudi facility to export to nearby markets in the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia.
The AMP-2 facility was developed and built with collaboration from the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Industrial Development Fund, and the Economic City at King Abdullah Economic City. The country participated with the Lucid factory as part of its strategic goal to diversify its economy and help meet its 30 percent of new car sales being electric by 2030.
Lucid says that the AMP-2 facility has begun assembly from semi-knocked-down chassis and kits and is expected to have an annual output of 5,000 cars. The initial operation of SKD kits re-assembles Lucid Air vehicle kits that are made at the company’s facility in the U.S. Lucid will transition the AMP-2 Saudi facility to complete build production after 2025 as production needs increase. The plant was designed to handle up to 150,000 cars per year.
“Today is a proud moment for all of us at Lucid as we play a part in Saudi Arabia’s history and create long-term economic value for the country. Earlier this year, we were thrilled to introduce the first and most advanced electric vehicle, the Lucid Air, to the Saudi Arabia market. The opening of our facility today marks the beginning of our production operations to assemble our world class Lucid Air. AMP-2 in KAEC, in addition to our existing AMP-1 facility in Arizona, gives us the ability to efficiently fulfill the recently signed agreement with the government of Saudi Arabia to purchase up to 100,000 vehicles over a ten-year period, with an initial commitment to purchase 50,000 vehicles and an option to purchase up to an additional 50,000 vehicles over the same period.” –Faisal Sultan, Vice President and Managing Director Middle East, Lucid Group
The plant is strategically located near Jeddah where a domestic supply chain can develop and for export shipping to move product. The plant itself is expected to employ a few hundred locals in the next few years and eventually have employees numbering in the thousands as goals are reached for production.
Aaron is an automotive journalist living in Wyoming, USA. His background includes technology, mechanics, commercial vehicles, and new vehicle evaluations. Aaron is a member of several automotive media groups and writes for many well-known publications.