Lucid misses first-quarter vehicle delivery estimates on supplier disruptions

By Savyata Mishra

April 3 (Reuters) - Lucid Group LCID.O missed expectations for first-quarter vehicle deliveries on Friday, hurt by a temporary sales halt and recall tied to an unauthorized supplier change.

Deliveries of its electric luxury SUV Lucid Gravity were disrupted for 29 days during the quarter due to a supplier quality issue with second-row seats, limiting the company’s ability to meet customer demand.

The company said it produced 5,500 vehicles and delivered 3,093 in the quarter ended March 31. Analysts at Visible Alpha had expected Lucid to produce 5,967 vehicles and deliver 5,237 vehicles.

Deliveries were particularly hit in February, said Chief Executive Marc Winterhoff, when Lucid paused to reverse the change and inspect vehicles already produced.

Lucid recalled 4,476 Gravity SUVs built between December 2024 and February 2026 earlier this week over seatbelt anchor welds that did not meet safety standards.

The shortfall also highlights the persistent gap between the company's production and its ability to get cars into customer hands, a challenge that has plagued Lucid and other EV startups as demand cools.

Supply challenges continue to be a concern, Winterhoff has said, acknowledging that the company was being conservative with its forecast of producing 25,000 to 27,000 vehicles this year, implying growth could top 50%. On Friday, it maintained that forecast.

In 2025, production nearly doubled to 17,840 vehicles.

Along with a hit from high tariffs imposed on auto parts imports, Lucid, like some of its rivals, has been combating a chip shortage, uncertain supplies of rare earths and a fire in September at an aluminum supplier.