As Lucid opens stores, it will take pop-ups to other cities

NEWARK, Calif. — Lucid Motors, the direct-to-consumer electric vehicle startup, is expanding its “studio” store locations to major U.S. cities, including recent openings in Seattle and Denver. But there are still current and future reservation holders who are too far away to easily test drive the Air sedan and its new Grand Touring trim.

So the automaker is taking its retail experience on the road.

The Grand Tour is the EV maker’s national test drive program that seeks to replicate a showroom experience through pop-up locations, including one at its Silicon Valley headquarters here.

“The Grand Tour will give invited reservation holders time behind the wheel via a fleet of Lucid Air Grand Touring models,” Lucid said in an email to Automotive News. “The scalable setup mirrors our Studio experience.”

The Grand Touring version starts at $155,650 with shipping. The Air Performance, which is also in production this month, starts at $180,650, more than Lucid’s first offering, the Lucid Air Dream Edition, which starts at $170,500. Lucid raised prices on all Air trims this month to reflect higher costs, but orders made before June 1 were not affected.

As part of the Grand Tour setup, the automaker will offer displays showing interior material choices, technical details such as the vehicle’s compact motors and 516-mile battery, and partnerships with public charging provider Electrify America and audio firm Dolby.

The program officially kicked off in Long Beach, Calif., at the Electrify Expo this month. The next stops include Napa, Calif., and Las Vegas. Although Lucid has a permanent studio at its Newark headquarters, the pop-up store was rolled out last week as a demonstration.

Future mobile locations will be announced later, the automaker said, and include markets across the country where Lucid has yet to establish a physical presence. The pop-up tour runs through the fall.