Gasgoo News According to foreign media reports, the United StatesElectric vehicleMarc Winterhoff, interim CEO of manufacturer Lucid Motors, recently said in an interview with U.S. Automotive News that those emerging local electric vehicle manufacturers who have just entered the U.S. market should be given the longest possible grace period to enjoy the current electric vehicle tax credit policy that is at risk of being canceled by the U.S. Congress.
Marc Winterhoff； Image credit: Lucid
Marc Winterhoff emphasized on the June 25 Daily Drive podcast that the U.S. will be $7,500Electric vehicleThe extension of the preferential tax policy until 2026 is fair to new electric vehicle companies such as Lucid, after all, established car companies have enjoyed this policy for many years.
Republicans in the U.S. Congress are considering two versions of the budget bill: the U.S. Senate proposes that all automakers end the electric vehicle tax credit policy within 180 days; The U.S. House of Representatives proposes to allow emerging car companies that do not reach the sales limit of 200,000 units to extend the electric vehicle tax credit until 2026, but car companies that have exceeded this limit will lose their eligibility for electric vehicle tax incentives by the end of this year.
Marc Winterhoff said: “As we all know, Lucid has not sold 200,000 electric vehicles yet, but in the past many car companies have met the standard and enjoyed tax credits. Why are the sudden changes in policies making it difficult for new entrants in the market? ”
It is reported that the cumulative sales of the Air sedan launched by Lucid at the end of 2021 will be about 21,000 units between 2021 and 2024. The company expects to sell 20,000 units this year (including the new Gravity crossover). Although Lucid’s models are sold for more than the EV tax credit price cap, they can still receive a $7,500 subsidy through the leasing rules.
Lucid manufactures Air and Gravity models at its plant in Casa Grande, Arizona, USA, and is headquartered in Newark, California. Marc Winterhoff said that this layout fully reflects a positive response to the Trump administration’s strategic goal of promoting the localization of automobile production. “We decided to fully implement a vertical integration strategy in the U.S. many years ago. I strongly support the U.S. government to extend the EV tax credit as much as possible and keep the 200,000 sales cap unchanged. ”
Marc Winterhoff pointed out that electric vehicle manufacturers will eventually move away from policy support to achieve autonomous development, and this is an inevitable trend. However, he also emphasized that the current U.S. electric vehicle market is still in the early stages of development and is experiencing a painful period of structural transformation, and this phased challenge is the norm in major industrial changes. “I think this is a necessary stage in the application of new technologies, and we have witnessed similar situations in many other technology promotion cases.”
Marc Winterhoff admits that although consumer concerns about public charging facilities were the primary obstacle to the adoption of electric vehicles a few years ago, the current core pain point has shifted to price factors. As the scale of electric vehicle production expands, the selling price will gradually drop to a level that can compete with traditional fuel vehicles. “Electric vehicles are the way to go, and we firmly believe in that.”
Unlike traditional car companies, Lucid does not need to balance the resource allocation of fuel vehicles and hybrid models, nor does it need to find a position for electric vehicles in the business map. “In fact, the strategic positioning of the all-electric option is exactly the strength of Lucid, as it allows us to focus entirely on a single track. On the other hand, other traditional car companies are currently facing a key capital decision-making dilemma: is it a complete return to the internal combustion engine? Switching to hybrid technology? Or focus on electric vehicles? ”
Marc Winterhoff said that despite its small sales base, Lucid has been successful in the highly competitive large luxury sedan segment, and its recently launched Gravity crossover has also attracted a lot of attention from the market.
Marc Winterhoff said Lucid plans to enter the mainstream by creating a crossover model with its new midsize platformLuxury carsMarket. It is reported that the model is priced at about $50,000 without shipping and is expected to be launched later next year. Currently, the starting price of the Lucid Air model is $71,400 with shipping and the Lucid Gravity model is $96,550 with shipping.
Lucid will start production of three models based on the new platform architecture, thereby achieving large-scale production. Marc Winterhoff said: “We have specific plans for three models, two of which will be launched almost simultaneously, with the first scheduled for the end of 2026. This is exactly what we are focusing on right now, because it will bring us demand and sales. Meanwhile, Lucid is accelerating production of the Gravity crossover, although the schedule is lagging behind expectations. ”
Marc Winterhoff also pointed to the tariff headwinds affecting the entire US automotive industry as one of the factors contributing to the company’s slow start, but he also stressed that Lucid wants to deliver its new crossover in “perfect quality”. At the same time, Marc Winterhoff added: “We are continuing to deliver more vehicles and the market feedback has been extraordinary. In my 25 years of working in the automotive industry, I have never seen such a positive response. ”
Notably, Marc Winterhoff has served as Lucid’s COO since December 2023 and was appointed interim CEO in February this year following the resignation of former CEO Peter Rawlinson. At the time, Lucid announced that it would select a full CEO, and Marc Winterhoff was running for the position. Previously, Marc Winterhoff was a senior partner at consulting firm Roland Berger for 12 years.
When asked about the progress of the executive selection, Marc Winterhoff said: “It is a great honour to take on this role. My focus is not on running for the CEO position, but on driving the business forward and ensuring itLucidSucceeded. ”
