Despite many setbacks, Lucid has announced it delivered the first Lucid Air Pure luxury sedans to customers on December 31st, 2022.

When the vehicle was first announced in November, the company said that deliveries of the Air Pure model would commence by the end of the year. Many were skeptical, especially given the recent production issues and customers canceling orders, but Lucid wouldn't let that stop it. It tweeted out a series of pictures and a short video showing customers driving off in the cars. It seems a great way to end 2022 and a good signifier for how the company wants to accomplish things heading into 2023.

The vehicles were delivered at the company's Millbrae, California Studio. Buyers were able to take ownership of their cars and were greeted enthusiastically by Lucid employees. One would think to get the vehicles out in time, they would be as bare bones as possible, but the units delivered came with the optional $5,500 dual-motor setup. On top of the ones here, the company also indicated that deliveries were happening concurrently at its Torrence, California Studio.

The Pure is meant to be the company's big seller, given it's the cheapest model Lucid currently produces. At $87,500 it certainly isn't what we'd classify as affordable, but the technology, range, and driving dynamics are more than enough to compete with and undercut its main rival, the $104,990 Tesla Model S.

The Pure has been referred to as the "hero of the group" by the brand's VP of design and brand, Derek Jenkins in the past. He mentioned that all of the development that the highest models like the $250,000 Air Sapphire received trickled down to the comparatively cheap Air Pure. Though development hasn't suffered, costs needed to be cut somewhere, and this is most apparent in the reduction of range, power, and different interior materials.

The Air Pure reaching owner hands by the end of 2022 is the cherry on top of a mixed bag that was Lucid's year. The company had to downgrade its production estimates significantly from 20,000 to around 6,000-7,000 and reported third-quarter losses that shook investor and buyer outlooks. The company has reportedly been scrambling to stop customers from canceling orders because of it and has started rolling out software fixes that have been plaguing vehicles already in owners hands.

We did say mixed bag, though, and there is good that has happened and is on the horizon for Lucid too. For one, the Air was recently awarded a five-star rating in the latest Euro NCAP safety evaluations, signaling good things to come when it's evaluated by the IIHS and NHTSA. On top of this, Tesla's battery supplier Panasonic recently signed a contract to supply Lucid with batteries, great news when the Gravity SUV is on the horizon claiming a massive 520-mile range.

Not to mention, we know the Air Saphire will be a Model S Plaid killer once it's on the road, officially stealing the EV king's crown in a recent video. The Air Pure will propel things for now, but 2023 is looking bright for the young automaker.