In its second-quarter earnings call, Lucid CEO Silvio Napoli acknowledged the company had underinvested in service, responded too slowly to quality issues and launched products before they were ready, straining trust with customers and investors. Management plans to raise technician and customer-support staff by 35% by year-end and add more than 20% in mobile service capacity, targeting wait-time reductions of more than 30%. Lucid has also identified $1.4 billion in cash-flow savings, including roughly $600 million to $800 million from inventory reductions. The article compares this with Rivian, which reported scheduling wait times down 35% during 2025 and added more than 1,000 service specialists. The author argues that the ownership experience, not just vehicle technology, will determine whether Lucid can keep customers and win repeat buyers.
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