Lucid Air EV open for reservations

American EV start-up Lucid Motors has officially opened reservations for its forthcoming Lucid Air, which is due to land in overseas showrooms in late 2020.

Last month, the Silicon Valley-based company opened order books for US and Canadian customers, while allowing international markets including Australia to register their interest.

Customers in the US and Canada can now put down a $US1000 refundable deposit, giving them priority when the vehicle is released later this year. Australian prospects for Lucid remain unknown.

The Lucid Air, first shown in 2016, has been conceived as a rival to the likes of the Tesla Model S. The parallels should come as little surprise given former Tesla exec Peter Rawlinson now heads up Lucid as its chief executive.

“As we near production of the Lucid Air in late 2020, we continue to make great progress here at Lucid Motors,” a statement from Lucid reads. "We will be sharing regular updates in the coming months.

“As a reservation holder, you will have the opportunity to be among the first to own a Lucid Air. You can also expect invitations to special events with exclusive opportunities to experience the car.”

Lucid has gone through some tough times financially, and only came back to life with a $US1 billion investment from the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund in September, 2018.

Lucid Motors promises that its first car, the Air luxury sedan (pictured), will deliver 0-100km/h acceleration of around 2.5 seconds, more than 1000 horsepower and more than 600km of range.

The Air’s production had been delayed because it ran out of funding for its $US700 million Arizona factory and Rawlinson said it spent that time making breakthroughs in its electric motor efficiency.