Lucid has opened the first car manufacturing plant in Saudi Arabia. Advanced Manufacturing Plant (AMP-2) is the auto maker’s first international assembly plant alongside AP-1 in Casa Grande, Arizona.
The plant has already begun semi knocked-down (SKD) assembly and is expected to have an annual capacity of 5,000 cars. The initial operation re-assembles Lucid Air vehicle kits that are produced at AMP-1. Eventually the company plans to move to complete build unit (CBU) production at the Saudi Arabia site with an annual capacity of 150,000 cars.
“We are delighted to make history in Saudi Arabia by opening the country’s first car manufacturing facility, which will produce our award-winning electric vehicles and support the country’s vision for a more sustainable and diversified economy,” said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO of Lucid Group. “As Saudi charges toward its Vision 2030, our facility will pave the way for the country’s electric automotive industry and the expansion of the supply chain and with the support of the Saudi government, we are proud to drive local talent development in the technology industry.”
The AMP-2 facility received support from the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA), the Saudi Industrial Development Fund (SIDF) and the Economic City at King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) and will play a role in the country’s strategic goal to diversify its economy and achieve the goal of making 30% of new car sales electric in the Kingdom by 2030.
Through an agreement with Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), Lucid says it expects to employ hundreds of Saudi nationals in the first few years and eventually grow the workforce into the thousands. It also says it expects the plant’s strategic location near Jeddah to act as a catalyst to further grow and expand the newly established domestic supply chain, creating demand for local suppliers and fostering long-term growth.
“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,” said Faisal Sultan, vice president and managing director Middle East at Lucid Group at the site’s opening.
“AMP-2 in KAEC, in addition to our existing AMP-1 facility in Arizona, gives us the ability to efficiently fulfil the recently signed agreement with the government of Saudi Arabia to purchase up to 100,000 vehicles over a 10-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.”
