Ever bought a car in the shopping street, between perfume shops and clothing stores?
It just might become the most normal thing in the world. About eight years ago I visited the Tesla Store in the center of Brussels. Now I was in Munich where Mercedes, Cupra, Maserati and Lucid have a “Studio”, because that's what it's called, on the same square: the Odeonsplatz.
I won’t go into the added value or the considerable cost for the other brands. But the resemblance between Tesla then and Lucid now is striking. A new, progressive brand that is largely discovered via the internet.
But sooner or later you want to see “the real thing”, of course.
Lucid now only has one model and can both excite the casual passer-by and inform the enthusiast who comes to Munich across different national borders.
I once drove around Flanders to see the superchargers in Ghent and to visit the store in Brussels, the workshop in Zaventem and the showroom in Antwerp, because I was bitten by the Tesla microbe.
I have that feeling again now.
Not that I would just drive eight hundred and fifty kilometers to look at a car… I was in Munich for work and luckily I was able to combine it.
But I feel another milestone coming. A moment when the automotive world is undergoing an, albeit modest, change: there is a direct competitor for Tesla!
I know… the fact that Tesla was there at one point has been more defining. But let's be honest: they have been the reference ever since.
And I say that with all due respect to all other EV brands and to the classic brands that have ventured into the electric vehicle market, forced or not by European legislation. I don't think anyone in their right mind will deny that Tesla has changed the rules of the game. Just because of the vision to give the charging network the same priority as the cars. And the big names don't have an adequate answer to that at the moment. Although I have no doubt that they will close the gap in the next years.
And you know… Lucid will take advantage of that.
For the majority of people who don't follow the evolution in the automotive world: Lucid is an American brand that currently has one model in several versions. From pricey to, to use a nice word, exorbitantly expensive. And each and every one of the different models is worth the money, for different and varied reasons.
Just to be clear: I'm aiming for the entry-level model. The only thing my financial strength, hardly, allows.
Why is someone who makes his living in the automotive sector, works for several EV manufacturers at European level, and drives a Tesla so excited about a new brand that has yet to prove itself?
“It’s the next level, baby…”
It has become frustrating. If people don't know what to say about Tesla, it's like, "Actually, the finishing is not that high-level..."
Look, I'm going to be friendly (as usual): the clearance between certain panels and the connection of different parts can be improved. I have been able to drive with Audi and Volkswagen for quite some time and Tesla does not reach that level of finishing.
But that doesn't bother me one bit. The fantastic drive, the unsurpassed multimedia, the driving support that really has no competition, not to mention the fabulous and tightly organized charging infrastructure make up for that amply and repeatedly!
Yes, I have used all my superlatives. And f*ck, I'm not going to get back to it either.
But… Imagine: all those extraordinary qualities (I found an extra superlative) combined with the finishing level of say Mercedes… And, more or less, affordable?
Harry, the highly driven Studio Adviser and super sympathetic guy, said: “We don't want the best electric car, we want the best car! And we don't just compete with Tesla and the classic quality brands. But, given performance and finishing, also with Aston Martin, Bentley and the like”
And that's right, damn. This could become the reference.
Performance is at least of Tesla's level. So out of this world and out of reach of the competition for the time being. And when I say performance, or write in this case, I mean cringingly fast on the road, but also at the charging station and also, all in all, modest in consumption.
The finishing seems to me, without pretending to be a specialist, to easily meet, if not surpass, the German references, you know the trio.
And then there are the tools, the many settings and programs that make life so much more pleasant while cruising. I won't bore you with it, but I promise it's worth exploring if you're in Munich, or if Lucid is in your area.
Have I already decided?
No.
It is a solid investment for a micro-company and it is a car… So I want to have driven it first. Harry and Annemiek might be able to arrange that in October. If the reservation holders can do the first tests.
Perhaps because they know we just need a little extra push.
And because a test drive will give us that without a shadow of a doubt.
That push.
I'm curious.
You'll hear all about it.
It just might become the most normal thing in the world. About eight years ago I visited the Tesla Store in the center of Brussels. Now I was in Munich where Mercedes, Cupra, Maserati and Lucid have a “Studio”, because that's what it's called, on the same square: the Odeonsplatz.
I won’t go into the added value or the considerable cost for the other brands. But the resemblance between Tesla then and Lucid now is striking. A new, progressive brand that is largely discovered via the internet.
But sooner or later you want to see “the real thing”, of course.
Lucid now only has one model and can both excite the casual passer-by and inform the enthusiast who comes to Munich across different national borders.
I once drove around Flanders to see the superchargers in Ghent and to visit the store in Brussels, the workshop in Zaventem and the showroom in Antwerp, because I was bitten by the Tesla microbe.
I have that feeling again now.
Not that I would just drive eight hundred and fifty kilometers to look at a car… I was in Munich for work and luckily I was able to combine it.
But I feel another milestone coming. A moment when the automotive world is undergoing an, albeit modest, change: there is a direct competitor for Tesla!
I know… the fact that Tesla was there at one point has been more defining. But let's be honest: they have been the reference ever since.
And I say that with all due respect to all other EV brands and to the classic brands that have ventured into the electric vehicle market, forced or not by European legislation. I don't think anyone in their right mind will deny that Tesla has changed the rules of the game. Just because of the vision to give the charging network the same priority as the cars. And the big names don't have an adequate answer to that at the moment. Although I have no doubt that they will close the gap in the next years.
And you know… Lucid will take advantage of that.
For the majority of people who don't follow the evolution in the automotive world: Lucid is an American brand that currently has one model in several versions. From pricey to, to use a nice word, exorbitantly expensive. And each and every one of the different models is worth the money, for different and varied reasons.
Just to be clear: I'm aiming for the entry-level model. The only thing my financial strength, hardly, allows.
Why is someone who makes his living in the automotive sector, works for several EV manufacturers at European level, and drives a Tesla so excited about a new brand that has yet to prove itself?
“It’s the next level, baby…”
It has become frustrating. If people don't know what to say about Tesla, it's like, "Actually, the finishing is not that high-level..."
Look, I'm going to be friendly (as usual): the clearance between certain panels and the connection of different parts can be improved. I have been able to drive with Audi and Volkswagen for quite some time and Tesla does not reach that level of finishing.
But that doesn't bother me one bit. The fantastic drive, the unsurpassed multimedia, the driving support that really has no competition, not to mention the fabulous and tightly organized charging infrastructure make up for that amply and repeatedly!
Yes, I have used all my superlatives. And f*ck, I'm not going to get back to it either.
But… Imagine: all those extraordinary qualities (I found an extra superlative) combined with the finishing level of say Mercedes… And, more or less, affordable?
Harry, the highly driven Studio Adviser and super sympathetic guy, said: “We don't want the best electric car, we want the best car! And we don't just compete with Tesla and the classic quality brands. But, given performance and finishing, also with Aston Martin, Bentley and the like”
And that's right, damn. This could become the reference.
Performance is at least of Tesla's level. So out of this world and out of reach of the competition for the time being. And when I say performance, or write in this case, I mean cringingly fast on the road, but also at the charging station and also, all in all, modest in consumption.
The finishing seems to me, without pretending to be a specialist, to easily meet, if not surpass, the German references, you know the trio.
And then there are the tools, the many settings and programs that make life so much more pleasant while cruising. I won't bore you with it, but I promise it's worth exploring if you're in Munich, or if Lucid is in your area.
Have I already decided?
No.
It is a solid investment for a micro-company and it is a car… So I want to have driven it first. Harry and Annemiek might be able to arrange that in October. If the reservation holders can do the first tests.
Perhaps because they know we just need a little extra push.
And because a test drive will give us that without a shadow of a doubt.
That push.
I'm curious.
You'll hear all about it.