Lucid, makers of a new luxury electric vehicle expected to begin production this year, is bringing one of its studio spaces to Seattle’s University Village. The new space will open in what was previously a Microsoft Store.
Lucid’s branding is on fencing in front of the location, just a few steps from the large Apple store in the high-end shopping mall.
Founded in 2007 as battery maker Atieva, Lucid is headquartered in Silicon Valley. It has been taking reservations for its first production model, the Lucid Air, a sedan available in four trim configurations which it’s billing as “the quickest, longest range, fastest charging electric car in the world.”
The Air Dream Edition, with a projected range of about 500 miles, is priced at $169,000 before federal tax credits. The lowest priced model will be the Air Pure, at $77,000 before credits. The cars will be built at a factory in Arizona.
Lucid’s website shows listings for eight studio locations in the U.S. and 14 more planned for 2021. The Seattle location is estimated to open in Q4. A rep for the company told GeekWire on Monday that studios are typically large enough to house one vehicle, a lounge area, and a virtual reality experience and serve as a place where visitors can learn more about the full lineup of vehicle models. The rep would not say whether other locations are planned for the region.
EV rival Tesla has a U. Village location not far from the future Lucid Space. It’s one of six stores/galleries in the Seattle area for Tesla. Electric truck maker Rivian is also coming to the area, with a showroom in Seattle and a service center in Bellevue, Wash.
Microsoft first opened its University Village location in October 2011. Located across from the existing Apple store, the two tech giants were literally poised for a brick-and-mortar face-off at the high-end shopping complex as part of Microsoft’s plan to boost its physical retail presence at the time.
But Microsoft announced in June 2020 that it was abandoning its retail locations for good amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The company had more than 70 U.S. stores; seven in Canada; and one each in Australia and England.
The physical stores doubled as a showroom for Microsoft’s hardware products, giving potential buyer hands-on time before purchasing.
