CORRESP 1 filename1.htm

 

 

 

VIA EDGAR

 

May 3, 2024

 

Attention: Stephany Yang
  Melissa Gilmore

 

Securities and Exchange Commission

Division of Corporation Finance

Office of Manufacturing

100 F Street, N.E.

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

Re:

Lucid Group, Inc.

Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023

Filed February 27, 2024

File No. 001-39408

 

Dear Ms. Yang and Ms. Gilmore:

 

Lucid Group, Inc. (the “Company,” or “we,” “our” or “us”) is writing this letter in response to the comment letter of the Staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Staff” or the “SEC”) dated April 19, 2024 relating to the Company’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 (the “2023 Form 10-K”).

 

For your convenience, we have reproduced the Staff’s comments preceding our responses below. All references to page numbers in our responses are to the pages of the 2023 Form 10-K as applicable. Please let us know if you have any questions or if we can provide additional information or otherwise be of assistance in expediting the review process.

 

 

 

 

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations Cost of Revenue, page 77

 

1.Please tell us and expand your disclosures to provide additional insight for the increase in inventory and firm purchase commitments write-downs in 2023. Additionally, expand your critical accounting policy disclosures to identify the material assumptions you used in determining the allowance for excess or obsolete inventory, including more details of how you develop certain assumptions such as current and future demand forecasts.

 

Response: We respectfully advise the Staff that the increase of $357.4 million from $569.5 million in the year ended December 31, 2022 to $926.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2023 in inventory write-downs and losses from firm purchase commitments, is primarily due to a decrease in estimated average selling prices, an increase in overall inventory balances, and inventory obsolescence. The decrease in estimated average selling prices in 2023 compared to 2022 was primarily driven by expected changes in product mix and higher discounts and incentives.

 

In future filings, beginning with our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, we will expand our disclosure by including information regarding movements in the inventory write-downs and losses from firm purchase commitments for the comparative periods in the Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations Cost of Revenue section.

 

Additionally, we advise the Staff that we will expand our critical accounting policy disclosures, beginning with our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, to reflect the following steps we take in determining write-downs for excess or obsolete inventory and to identify the material assumptions used as follows:

 

We periodically review and record write-downs for excess or obsolete inventories based upon assumptions about current and future demand forecasts, considering shelf-life and technological obsolescence of certain inventories. Our current and future demand forecasts are based on our historical sales, market share performance, macroeconomic factors and trends in quantities or prices of orders for our products. We evaluate whether raw materials are approaching the end of their shelf-lives or becoming technologically obsolete, and the likelihood that we will be able to use the raw materials in production.

 

Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Segment Reporting, page 98

 

2.Please disclose revenues from external customers attributed to your country of domicile and attributed to all foreign countries in total from which you derive revenues in future filings. In addition, disclose long-lived assets located in your country of domicile and located in all foreign countries in total in which you hold assets. Also disclose the amount of revenues from external customers attributed to and the amount of long-lived assets in an individual foreign country, if material. Refer to ASC 280-10-50-41.

 

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Response: We acknowledge the Staff’s comment and respectfully advise the Staff that for the year ended December 31, 2023, entity wide disclosures under ASC 280-10-50-41 for revenues from external customers attributed to, and the amount of long-lived assets in an individual foreign country were not disclosed because such amounts were not material. In future filings, beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 (the “2024 Form 10-K”), we will disclose (1) revenues from external customers attributed to our country of domicile and attributed to all foreign countries in total from which we derive revenues, (2) long-lived assets located in our country of domicile and located in all foreign countries in total in which we hold assets. We will also disclose the amount of revenues from external customers attributed to and the amount of long-lived assets in an individual foreign country, if it becomes material in future periods.

 

Revenue from Contracts with Customers, page 101

 

3.Please tell us whether the revenue recognition policies disclosed for vehicle sales without Residual Value Guarantee apply to vehicles sales under the EV Purchase Agreement. If different, please disclose in future filings the revenue recognition policies applied to vehicle sales under the EV Purchase Agreement.

 

Response: We respectfully advise the Staff that the revenue recognition policies disclosed for vehicle sales without Residual Value Guarantee apply to vehicles sales under the EV Purchase Agreement. In future filing, beginning with our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, we will disclose that the revenue recognition policies for vehicle sales without Residual Value Guarantee apply to vehicles sales under the EV Purchase Agreement.

 

Note 20 - Related Party Transactions, page 129

 

4.We note you disclosed various related party transactions. Please identify on the face of your consolidated balance sheets, consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, and consolidated statements of cash flows the amounts of all related party transactions and balances in future filings pursuant to Rule 4-08(k) of Regulations S- X.

 

Response: We acknowledge the Staff’s comment and in future filings, beginning with our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, we will identify on the face of our condensed consolidated balance sheets, condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, and condensed consolidated statements of cash flows the amounts of all material related party transactions and balances pursuant to Rule 4-08(k) of Regulation S-X.

 

While Rule 4-08(k) of Regulation S-X does not have a concept of materiality, we do not believe that the inclusion of immaterial related party amounts on the face of our condensed consolidated balance sheets, condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, and condensed consolidated statements of cash flows would enhance the usefulness of our financial statements and therefore such amounts will be excluded, consistent with Rule 4-02 of Regulation S-X.

 

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Set forth below for the Staff’s consideration is a draft of the Company’s proposed presentation and disclosure.

 

LUCID GROUP, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited)

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

   March 31,
2024
   December 31,
2023
 
ASSETS          
Current assets:          
Cash and cash equivalents       $1,369,947 
Short-term investments        2,489,798 
Accounts receivable, net (including $      and $35,526 from a related party as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively)        51,822 
Inventory        696,236 
Prepaid expenses        69,682 
Other current assets        79,670 
Total current assets           4,757,155 
Property, plant and equipment, net        2,810,867 
Right-of-use assets        221,508 
Long-term investments        461,029 
Other noncurrent assets        180,626 
Investments in equity securities of a related party        81,533 
TOTAL ASSETS       $8,512,718 
           
LIABILITIES          
Current liabilities:          
Accounts payable       $108,724 
Accrued compensation        92,494 
Finance lease liabilities, current portion        8,202 
Other current liabilities (including $      and $92,258 associated with related parties as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively)        798,990 
Total current liabilities        1,008,410 
Finance lease liabilities, net of current portion        77,653 
Common stock warrant liability        53,664 
Long-term debt        1,996,960 
Other long-term liabilities (including $      and $178,311 associated with related parties as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively)        524,339 
Total liabilities        3,661,026 
Commitments and contingencies (Note 12)          
           
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY          
Common stock, par value $0.0001; 15,000,000,000 shares authorized as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023;                and 2,300,111,489 shares issued and               and 2,299,253,664 shares outstanding as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively        230 
Additional paid-in capital        15,066,080 
Treasury stock, at cost, 857,825 shares at March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023        (20,716)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)        4,850 
Accumulated deficit        (10,198,752)
Total stockholders’ equity        4,851,692 
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY       $8,512,718 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

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LUCID GROUP, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(Unaudited)

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

   Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
   2024   2023 
Revenue (including $         and $0 revenue from a related party for three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively)       $149,432 
           
Costs and expenses          
Cost of revenue        500,524 
Research and development        229,803 
Selling, general and administrative        168,770 
Restructuring charges        22,496 
Total cost and expenses        921,593 
           
Loss from operations        (772,161)
           
Other income (expense), net          
Change in fair value of common stock warrant liability        (40,802)
Change in fair value of equity securities of a related party         
Interest income        40,005 
Interest expense        (7,108)
Other income (expense), net        667 
Total other income (expense), net        (7,238)
Loss before provision for income taxes        (779,399)
Provision for income taxes        129 
Net loss attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted          $(779,528)
           
Weighted average shares outstanding attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted        1,831,725,009 
           
Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted       $(0.43)
           
Other comprehensive income (loss)          
Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments, net of tax       $4,035 
Foreign currency translation adjustments         
Total other comprehensive income (loss)        4,035 
Comprehensive loss       $(775,493)

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

* * *

 

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LUCID GROUP, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

(in thousands)

 

   Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
   2024   2023 
Cash flows from operating activities:          
Net loss       $(779,528)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:          
Depreciation and amortization        49,838 
Amortization of insurance premium        10,263 
Non-cash operating lease cost        5,830 
Stock-based compensation        53,819 
Inventory and firm purchase commitments write-downs        227,048 
Change in fair value of common stock warrant liability        40,802 
Net accretion of investment discounts/premiums        (21,395)
Change in fair value of equity securities of a related party         
Other non-cash items        2,345 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:          
Accounts receivable (including $        and $0 from a related party for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively)        17,009 
Inventory        (354,154)
Prepaid expenses        (9,082)
Other current assets        22,193 
Other noncurrent assets        (27,337)
Accounts payable        (66,174)
Accrued compensation        21,545 
Other current liabilities        1,374 
Other long-term liabilities        4,340 
Net cash used in operating activities        (801,264)
Cash flows from investing activities:          
Purchases of property, plant and equipment (including $         and $(20,421) from a related party for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively)        (241,770)
Purchases of investments        (842,538)
Proceeds from maturities of investments        1,041,151 
Proceeds from sale of investments        13,244 
Other investing activities        1,197 
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities        (28,716)
Cash flows from financing activities:          
Payment for finance lease liabilities        (1,427)
Proceeds from exercise of stock options        2,181 
Tax withholding payments for net settlement of employee awards        (6,499)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities        (5,745)
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash        (835,725)
Beginning cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash        1,737,320 
Ending cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash          $901,595 
           
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:          
Cash paid for interest, net of amounts capitalized       $857 
Cash paid for taxes       $ 
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activity:          
Increases (decreases) in purchases of property, plant and equipment included in accounts payable and other current liabilities       $(19,812)
Property, plant and equipment and right-of-use assets obtained through leases       $3,862 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

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In connection with our response to the Staff’s comments, we acknowledge that the Company and its management are responsible for the accuracy and adequacy of its disclosures, notwithstanding any review, comments, action or absence of action by the Staff.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact me at GaganDhingra@lucidmotors.com with any questions you may have with respect to the foregoing.

 

  Very truly yours,
   
  LUCID GROUP, INC.
   
  By: /s/ Gagan Dhingra
    Name: Gagan Dhingra
    Title: Interim Chief Financial Officer

 

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