Lucid Group has opened Saudi Arabia’s first-ever car manufacturing facility, marking a significant milestone in the country’s industrial landscape.
Located in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), Jeddah, the Advanced Manufacturing Plant (AMP-2) is Lucid’s first international facility and second overall. It will produce the Lucid Air, the company’s award-winning electric vehicle (EV).
The plant has received substantial backing from the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA), the Saudi Industrial Development Fund (SIDF), and KAEC.
“We are delighted to make history today in Saudi Arabia by opening the country’s first car manufacturing facility,” said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO of Lucid Group in a statement.
The facility aligns with Saudi Arabia’s strategic objectives to diversify its economy and supports the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims for 30% of new car sales in the Kingdom to be electric by 2030.
Initially, AMP-2 will have an annual production capacity of 5,000 Lucid Air vehicles. These vehicles will be semi knocked-down (SKD) assemblies, with kits pre-manufactured at Lucid’s AMP-1 Manufacturing Facility in Casa Grande, Arizona. The company plans to transition to complete build unit (CBU) production after the middle of the decade, increasing the annual capacity to an ambitious 155,000 vehicles.
The facility is expected to create hundreds of jobs for Saudi nationals in its initial years, eventually growing the workforce into the thousands. Lucid has entered into an agreement with the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) to attract, train, and retain local talent.
“With the support of the Saudi Government, we are proud to drive local talent development in the technology industry,” Rawlinson added.
Faisal Sultan, Vice President and Managing Director Middle East of Lucid Group, stated, “The opening of our facility today marks the beginning of our production operations to assemble our world-class Lucid Air.” The plant’s strategic location near Jeddah will also serve as a catalyst for the growth of the domestic supply chain, bolstering demand for local suppliers and fostering long-term economic growth.
The AMP-2 facility was officially inaugurated at a high-profile event attended by H.E. Yasir O. Al-Rumayyan, Governor of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia; Lucid Group Chairman of the Board, Turqi Alnowaiser; and other dignitaries. Lucid also delivered Lucid Airs to a select group of customers at the event.
