Achieving a significant milestone, American electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Lucid Group has officially announced the commencement of Air electric sedan at its first international manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia.

The new production plant, known as AMP-2, is situated within the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), approximately eighty miles north of Jeddah in the West Asian nation. This state-of-the-art facility represents a remarkable expansion for the American EV maker in a strategic location.

The AMP-2 is the first-ever car manufacturing plant in Saudi Arabia and Lucid’s second automobile plant after the main AMP-1 production facility in Casa Grande, Arizona.

The new production plant has initiated the semi knocked-down (SKD) assembly of Lucid Air electric sedans by using pre-manufactured vehicle kits supplied by the company’s Arizona facility. In its initial phase, the company aims to produce up to 5,000 EVs per annum through kit assembly at the new plant.

The manufacturer envisions transitioning the AMP-2 into a complete build unit (CBU) production facility by the mid of current decade, increasing its annual capacity to 150,000 EVs. Ultimately, the entire production complex is projected to have an annual capacity of 155,000 EVs. The AMP-2 will serve the Saudi Arabian market as well as other regions of the world.

Peter Rawlinson, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Lucid Group, said in a statement that he was thrilled as the company made history in Saudi Arabia by inaugurating the country’s first car manufacturing facility. He stressed that the new facility would produce award-winning EVs and contribute to the West Asian country’s vision of a more sustainable and diversified economy.

Speaking on the topic, Rawlinson said, “We are delighted to make history today in Saudi Arabia by opening the country's first car manufacturing facility, which will produce our award-winning electric vehicles … We look forward to delivering Saudi-assembled cars to customers in Saudi Arabia and beyond.”

At the new production complex’s inauguration ceremony, the manufacturer handed over a few Lucid Air e-sedans to a special group of pre-order holders. Deliveries of the Lucid Air e-sedans to customers in Saudi Arabia started back in June.

It is also worth noting here that the Saudi Arabian government, mainly through its Public Investment Fund (PIF), owns a majority stake (60.5 per cent) in Lucid Group. The sovereign wealth fund recently increased its ownership in Lucid Group by participating in an equity offering that raised $3 billion for the EV maker. Of this amount, nearly $2 billion was contributed by the sovereign fund’s affiliate, Ayar Third Investment Company.