Due in large part to the cancellation of the New York Auto Show, Lucid Motors, an electric vehicle company headquartered in California, did not make the global debut of its Lucid Air, its first production vehicle, as planned in April. In February, it gave a sneak peek in the Silicon Valley for reservations purchasers before the regulations of shelter-in-place were instituted.

CEO Peter Rawlinson told the guests that the construction of the Arizona production facility had substantially developed, and the first executive sedan Dream Edition was on target. Lucid revised the May 1 release: “We haven’t had to modify ambitious plans to complete our factory for upcoming Lucid Air production … later this year.”

Has the Lucid Air Evaporated?

Thanks to the coronavirus outbreak, the Lucid Air road testing was temporarily suspended. The Air is rumored to be strong competition with the long-range Tesla Model S. It was projected to cross the $100,000 barrier at the top trim level. The company announced in mid-May that it had built over 40 “beta” prototypes to follow up on assessments once the suspension ends.

In a recent interview with Motortrend, Rawlinson speaks on how he perceives these times will impact Lucid. His words are also a good word for anyone looking for a new path in times of crisis.

“We are in a frenetic stage now, with just nine months from the start of production, and now there’s a long push in three areas: the car, the factory, and the showroom and sales. I just signed a lease on a store in San Diego this morning, and we’ve secured leases on a number of others.

When we come through this, the world will need sustainable mobility more than ever. For instance, if pandemics are going to be part of the new landscape, we need biodiversity—which is what global warming is eroding—to develop new remedies. I really believe that we are connected to something that can change the world for the better by developing the best EV technology imaginable.

I’ve been at this now for nearly seven years. It’s not always been a clear path, but if you’re really committed to something, you just turn adversity into opportunity.”

Peter Rawlinson, CEO Lucid Motors

Lucid is doing better than some of its struggling competitors. Just over a year ago significant additional funds were received to help the company. It closed an investment of 1 billion dollars from the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund. Lucid believes there is space in the EV market for everyone. Rawlinson told Bloomberg that there was “space for Lucid to flourish alongside Tesla.” Lucid has not confirmed a new public unveiling timeline for the Air.