Rivian, Lucid shares fall as gradual EV demand hits ramp-up plans

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Rivian Automotive and Lucid Group fell Thursday after their earnings studies pointed to the impression of slowing electric-vehicle demand on their pricey ramp-up plans.

Rivian fell 25% to a report low after forecast flat development in annual manufacturing, additionally harm by the closure of its meeting line for upgrades. Lucid fell 9% as its manufacturing forecast additionally got here in beneath expectations.

The businesses mentioned the unsure financial outlook and excessive rates of interest are hurting EV demand, echoing feedback from legacy automakers like market leaders Tesla and Ford.

“Regardless of excessive scores and making fascinating EVs, Rivian has hit an air-pocket within the near-term and has caught the EV bug not too long ago,” mentioned Canaccord Genuity analyst George Gianarikas, who lowered his worth goal on the inventory from $10 to $10. Have achieved 20. ,

EV startups are burning billions of {dollars} of money of their efforts to speed up the event, sourcing and manufacturing of automobiles in hopes of changing into the following Tesla. Lucid reported a quarterly lack of $654 million, whereas Rivian's quarterly loss was $1.54 billion.

If the losses had been sustained, Rivian was set to lose greater than $3.5 billion in market capitalization, whereas Lucid's valuation was set to fall by practically $1 billion.

Their shares have had a weak begin to the yr, with Rivian down 34% and Lucid down 12%, after a turbulent 2023 when Tesla's worth battle roiled the trade.

Rivian mentioned Wednesday it expects to put up its first gross revenue within the fourth quarter, after dropping about $43,000 per automobile within the October-December interval.

As compared, Ford's Mannequin E electrical automobile division misplaced a median of greater than $47,000 per automobile over the identical interval.

low-cost fashions

Rivian is betting on its R2 sport utility automobile, to be unveiled subsequent month, to compete with Tesla's best-selling Mannequin Y crossover and entice prospects with smaller and cheaper EVs.

However the R2 SUV, which is predicted to be priced round $50,000, is simply scheduled to launch in 2026.

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe mentioned a lot of the upgrades to the R1 meeting line within the second quarter had been made to allow R2 automobiles.

In the meantime, Lucid plans to start manufacturing of a Gravity SUV with greater than 400 miles of vary and anticipated to value $80,000 later this yr, with quantity manufacturing anticipated after 2025.

Lucid additionally mentioned a 3rd mannequin within the mid-size vary, scheduled for manufacturing in late 2026, however didn’t present additional particulars on the mannequin.

“We view near-term deliveries as an unknown, with uncertainty extending to Lucid's Gravity SUV launch, with Lucid's midsize program scheduled for early 2026,” mentioned Needham analyst Chris Pierce. “

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