Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson is stepping down. In an official press release from the automaker, the ex-boss will remain connected to the company as the Strategic Technical Advisor to the Chairman of the Board but will relinquish all his CEO duties effective immediately.
The news comes as a surprise, at least to those outside the company. It seems to be at least partially a surprise within the automaker as well; the company Board appointed Chief Operating Officer Marc Winterhoff as his interim replacement while launching a search for a permanent CEO.
Photo by: Lucid Motors
Rawlinson has been with Lucid since the company’s official launch in 2016. In a statement, he doesn’t explain why he decided to step down aside from simply saying it was time.
“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,” said Rawlinson. “I am incredibly proud of the accomplishments the Lucid team have achieved 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. It has been my honor to have led and grown this remarkable, truly world-class organization, because Lucid has always been first and foremost about a team effort. The time has now come for me to hand the baton to that very team.”
His departure comes as the long-awaited Gravity is on the cusp of finally reaching buyers. Initially revealed in 2020, the production version debuted in late 2023, but we’ve yet to see any reach dealerships. The Grand Touring trim, with a starting price of $94,900, is available for order now. The $79,900 Gravity Touring will be available in late 2025.
Photo by: @about.cars.yo
Rawlinson’s departure also comes at a time when the future of fully electric vehicles is unclear, both politically and in terms of waning demand. In any case, he leaves the company after a very strong year with 10,241 sales—an increase of 71 percent versus 2023.
“Lucid’s technology leadership is now well-established and our roadmap well-defined,” said interim CEO Marc Winterhoff. “I am honored to step into this role as we enter the next stage in our transformational journey, and I look forward to capitalizing on the tremendous opportunity this presents. Our team remains focused on further ramping production of the Lucid Gravity, preparing for the launch of our three midsize platform vehicles, and continuing development of our low-cost Atlas drive unit while we aggressively reduce our costs.”