Lucid’s CEO Peter Rawlinson passes on the baton

Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO of American electric carmaker Lucid and the ex-engineer who once stood at the cradle of the Tesla Model S, is stepping down after more than a decade to pass the baton to a new, yet-to-be-found manager.

Rawlingson remains a strategic technical advisor to Turqi Alnowaiser, the board chairman representing Lucid’s major shareholder, the Saudi Public Investment Fund. Marc Winteroff, Lucid’s chief operating officer (COO), serves as interim CEO.

Regular succession planning process

Lucid said the decision was “part of the company’s regular succession planning process.” Still, the news came unexpectedly, while the company saw an executive shakeup with nine senior departures in just 14 months.

In December, Lucid Motors announced another vital leadership change with the departure of Alexander Lutz, its Managing Director for Europe, after just one year. Lawrence Hamilton, former Managing Director of Genesis Motor Europe, succeeded him.

Best paid car-boss in 2023

Peter Rawlinson also made the news recently, as he topped the ranking of the best-paid bosses among car brands based on the numbers from 2023. With a wage of 30.2 million dollars, he earned 3.6 million dollars more than Mary Barra from General Motors—though his paycheck plummeted from a staggering 380 million dollars the year before.

While the executive shakeups make headlines, the start-up of luxury EVs achieved a new production milestone. In July, after pre-production models were built for its Gravity electric SUV, Lucid confirmed that the first customer-ready models rolled off the production line at its Casa Grande facility in Arizona. The first delivery of its first electric SUV was in December 2024.

The right time to step aside

In a statement released Tuesday, Rawlinson said: “Now that we have successfully launched the Lucid Gravity, I have decided it is finally the right time for me to step aside from my roles at Lucid. ”

“I am incredibly proud of the Lucid team’s accomplishments together through my tenure of these past twelve years. We grew from a tiny company with a big ambition to a widely recognized technological world leader in sustainable mobility.”

The Gravity is Lucid’s second production model, following the Air sedan. The SUV aims to challenge established players like Tesla, Rivian, and BMW in the growing electric SUV market. Boasting an impressive 710-km driving range and abundant cargo space, the Gravity is a versatile and luxurious family-friendly option.

Lower-cost midsize vehicles

Lucid plans to build 20,000 cars this year, almost more than double the 10,241 last year. In Europe, sales success remains modest. Registration data reveal that in November, only 42 vehicles were registered in the Netherlands, where Lucid has installed its European headquarters. Germany saw slightly better performance, with 116 cars registered, buoyed by a rental fleet deal with Sixt.

Lucid earlier unveiled plans to launch three midsize vehicles. The first is set to start production in late 2026 and will have starting prices around $50,000 (€47,725).