Lucid rejects take-private, bankruptcy report after shares plunge

Summary

  • Lucid said it had sufficient liquidity to fund operations well into next year
  • Lucid said AlixPartners not recommending bankruptcy
  • The stock fell as much as 57% to $2.37 in afternoon trading

(Reuters) – Lucid Group on Tuesday denied as “completely false” a blog ‌post saying it was considering a potential take-private transaction or a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, after the electric-vehicle maker’s shares tumbled more than 50% in what would be their steepest one-day decline.

Lucid said it had sufficient ​liquidity to fund operations well into the next year, and had not formed a special board committee to ​explore the reported scenarios. It also said restructuring adviser AlixPartners was assisting the company on improving ⁠execution and operations, and was not recommending bankruptcy.

The Eletric-Vehicles blog reported that AlixPartners had been asked to ​present its findings to Lucid’s board before its next meeting and that scenarios under review included ​taking the company private or seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, while adding that no decision had been made.

Trading in the stock was halted multiple times after 1 p.m. ET because of volatility. The stock fell as ​much as 57% to $2.37 in afternoon trading before paring losses.

Shares were last down about 13% at ​2:45 p.m. ET.

AlixPartners did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Lucid’s shares have lost about 99% ‌of ⁠their value since the company went public, as it has struggled to turn a profit nearly five years after its market debut.

The report comes as Lucid undergoes a broad restructuring under CEO Silvio Napoli, who took over in June.

Last month, the company said it would cut about 18% of its ​U.S. workforce, eliminate the ​chief operating officer ⁠role and streamline its leadership structure to reduce costs and improve execution.

Lucid also announced a series of executive appointments, including naming Alexander De Bock as chief ​financial officer and appointing new leaders for technology, customer, transformation and digital ​functions.

In May, ⁠Lucid suspended its 2026 vehicle production forecast of 25,000 to 27,000 vehicles after supplier-related issues disrupted deliveries of its Gravity SUV, saying it would provide an updated guidance following a strategic review under Napoli.

Despite ⁠billions of ​dollars in backing from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, ​Lucid has struggled with weak demand, persistent cash burn and repeated capital raises, prompting investors to question how quickly it ​can scale production and move toward profitability.

Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru’ Editing by Tasim Zahid