Twork Named New Lucid PR Chief as it Enters a Critical Phase

Lucid Group named a new PR chief, Nick Twork taking on global communications duties at the EV start-up. The move comes at a critical time for the Silicon Valley-based automaker. While its initial product line, the Air sedan, has received generally favorable reviews, Lucid has been struggling with sluggish sales and a rapid cash burn while waiting for the more mainstream Gravity SUV to debut later this year.

Industry veteran Nick Twork has been named the new global communications chief for Lucid Group, the EV start-up based in Newark, California.

Twork has spent the last two decades in various public relations and planning roles for an assortment of automakers and industry suppliers including Nissan, Porsche and Ford. He most recently ran PR and marketing for ONE, or Our Next Energy, an EV battery company based in the Detroit suburbs.

Twork initially started out on the journalism side — even before getting his driver’s license earning a reputation for being able to snap “spy shots” of future products. He would routinely bicycle over to a spot outside the General Motors Proving Grounds in Milford, Michigan where he would climb a particularly well-placed tree to wait until products like the then-future Chevrolet Corvette would drive by.

The assignment at Lucid “is kind of like a dream job,” Twork told Headlight.News, “being on the cutting edge of electrification.”

The cutting edge

That’s a term that’s been used before for Lucid which was founded in 2007 by a team led by Peter Rawlinson, formerly the chief engineer for the Tesla Model S. (Twork will report directly to Rawlinson, who serves as both Lucid CEO and chief technology officer.)

In prior conversations, Rawlinson has told Headlight.News that he wanted the opportunity to push beyond the technology he oversaw development of at Tesla. Among other things, Lucid has been praised for the downsized motor drive technology it now produces in-house, along with its battery and power electronics systems. One of the company’s top priorities has been improving the efficiency of its electric drivetrains to maximize range and reduce charging times.

The automaker this month announced its most energy-efficient version of the Air sedan now can deliver as much as 5 miles for every kilowatt-hour of energy it uses. That means as much as 300 miles on 60 kWh of lithium-ion batteries. By comparison, the most efficient Tesla requires about 80 kWh for the same range. And other competitors, such as Volkswagen and General Motors, may need 90 kWh or more with similar-sized vehicles. That can translate into long range or a lighter – and significantly less expensive – battery pack.

More Lucid News

• Lucid Earth – its Model Y fighter – Set to Launch in 2026
• Lucid Reports Mixed Q1 Results
• Lucid Lowers Prices, Simplifies Lineup

Financial challenges

Despite the praise the Lucid Air has received, sales have been modest, just 1,967 delivered during the first quarter of this year, production for the period an even more modest 1,728. The company has forecast it will build 9,000 of the sedans in 2024, though it has signaled it may fall short.

That reflects both the weak demand for sedans in today’s market, as well as the product line’s high cost. The base version of the Air starts at $71,400, while the top-line performance model, the Sapphire edition, jumps to $249,000.

Lucid generated just $172 million in revenues for the quarter, while it went $685 million into the red. That was a slight improvement over Q1 2023 when it announced a $780 million net loss.

Some help from its friends

The automaker reported raising about $1 billion in fresh capital during the first quarter of this year. That follows the $3 billion bailout it announced on June 1 of 2023, the majority of that coming from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, or PIF, which now has about $9 billion invested in the California-based automaker. The Saudis currently control about two-thirds of Lucid’s outstanding shares.

The carmaker has said it has enough capital to carry it through at least 2025. But it is hoping to significantly improve its financial situation starting later this year with the launch of a second product line, the Gravity SUV. If the Air sedan is Lucid’s answer to the Tesla Model S, Gravity takes aim at the better-established automaker’s Model X.

Analysts like Sam Abuelsamid, of Guidehouse Insights, believe that Lucid’s real challenge will be taking the next step, going even more mainstream. The automaker has confirmed plans to follow up with a Model Y fighter widely expected to be called the Lucid Earth. It’s on the books with a launch target of 2026. It will use an entirely new platform and, company insiders claim, will feature a number of moves meant to reduce production costs. The Lucid Earth is expected to start around $48,000.