Lucid Motors Reduces Prices of EV in Saudi Arabia

Lucid Motors Reduces Prices of EV in Saudi Arabia
TT

Lucid Motors Reduces Prices of EV in Saudi Arabia

Lucid Motors Reduces Prices of EV in Saudi Arabia

Lucid Motors, partially owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), has reduced the prices of its electric vehicles (EVs) by 9-11 percent in Saudi Arabia, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

According to private sources, the reduction comes as a step after adjusting global selling prices, clarifying that the cost will be fixed after the drop and will not witness any review during the current year.

- Achieving production target

In July, Lucid sold 1,404 cars.

The CEO and chief technology officer, Peter Rawlinson, said Lucid is on pace to manufacture more than 10,000 vehicles this year.

"We're on track toward achieving our 2023 production target of more than 10,000 vehicles, but we recognize we still have work to do to grow our customer base," Rawlinson said in the statement.

Lucid Motors intends to launch the first electric car assembled at its factory in Saudi Arabia next September.

The company announced the establishment of a factory in the Kingdom, with an estimated investment of $3.2 billion, which will make as many as 155,000 electric vehicles annually.

- Developing future industries

In 2018, PIF agreed to invest more than $1 billion in Lucid Motors. It is the first company to truly benefit from the full potential of electric vehicles, as the investment enables the Fund to play a global role in developing future industries, mainly in new and advanced technologies.

The Lucid Air line includes four models: Lucid Air, the Air Touring with premium equipment, the Air Grand Touring with complete equipment, and the DreamDrive advanced driver assistance system.

The company had previously announced a deal to supply powertrain technology to Aston Martin Lagonda Holdings, partly owned by the Public Investment Fund.

- Arizona plant

Lucid's main factory is on up to 500 acres in Casa Grande, Arizona, USA. Located between Phoenix and Tucson, the Casa Grande offered proximity to critical utilities, an established transportation system, and strong support from state and local governments.

The facility is the first greenfield EV factory in North America. It is being built with such efficiency and speed. Construction of its first phase will be completed over 12 months after breaking ground.

Outfitted with the world's most advanced production line equipment, the factory will have the initial capacity to produce 10,000 cars annually and over 300,000 annually with planned expansion.



Lebanon Extends Deadline for Licensing Round for Offshore Oil, Gas Fields

A motorbike drives past buildings destroyed during previous Israeli military fire on the southern Lebanese village of Aita al-Shaab, near the border with northern Israel on June 29, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (Photo by AFP)
A motorbike drives past buildings destroyed during previous Israeli military fire on the southern Lebanese village of Aita al-Shaab, near the border with northern Israel on June 29, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (Photo by AFP)
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Lebanon Extends Deadline for Licensing Round for Offshore Oil, Gas Fields

A motorbike drives past buildings destroyed during previous Israeli military fire on the southern Lebanese village of Aita al-Shaab, near the border with northern Israel on June 29, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (Photo by AFP)
A motorbike drives past buildings destroyed during previous Israeli military fire on the southern Lebanese village of Aita al-Shaab, near the border with northern Israel on June 29, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (Photo by AFP)

Lebanon's energy ministry has extended a deadline for companies to bid for exploration rights for offshore oil and gas fields in its third licensing round until March next year, the Lebanese Petroleum Administration said on Monday.

The government originally set a deadline of July 3, 2024 for bidding in the licensing round for nine maritime blocks, which was launched in January.

The Lebanese Petroleum Administration said the deadline had been extended to March 17, 2025 to provide enough time to monitor "accelerating regional and international developments," find ways of attracting more interest from companies and "work towards achieving economic stability."

The statement did not mention the ongoing hostilities between the Israeli military and Hezbollah, which have been trading fire for more than eight months in parallel with the Gaza war.

An industry source told Reuters that the exchanges of fire had been a major factor in the decision to extend the deadline.

Lebanon has extended previous licensing rounds repeatedly, in some cases because there had been no applications.

Lebanon formally delineated its maritime border with Israel in October 2022 after years of US-mediated talks. It had hoped this would pave the way for an influx of bids for oil and gas exploration in its waters.

But the recent border conflict has resurrected fears that a full-scale war could break out, and Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah made threats about the Mediterranean in a recent speech.