Lucid Engineering Leader Departs As New CEO Recasts Management

Lucid Motors confirmed a senior engineering executive has left the company as incoming chief executive Silvio Napoli reorganizes the leadership team, shifting two vice presidents to report directly to the new CEO.

Emad Dlala, who had risen through Lucid’s ranks over more than a decade, exited the electric-vehicle maker days after Napoli formally took the helm. Company officials said the departure is part of a broader reconfiguration meant to speed up product delivery and sharpen operational focus under Napoli’s direction. Two senior engineering executives — Vivek Attaluri, vice president of vehicle engineering, and Marc Solsona Palomar, vice president of software — will now answer directly to Napoli, the company said. Dlala declined to comment on his decision.

Dlala had served in leadership roles on Lucid’s powertrain organization for several years and was promoted last November to oversee the engineering and digital functions. His tenure made him one of the automaker’s longest-serving managers. The change follows a string of departures and disputes in the engineering ranks, including the exit of former chief engineer Eric Bach, who later filed a wrongful-termination suit that is currently on hold pending arbitration.

The personnel shifts come against a backdrop of cost-cutting and executive turnover. In February the company trimmed about one in eight jobs as part of efforts to move toward profitability, and the board concluded a yearlong search to replace former CEO Peter Rawlinson, who left abruptly in early 2025. Dlala’s exit is the most senior personnel loss since Napoli’s appointment in April and his formal start this month.

The timing is notable: Lucid is preparing to launch a mid-sized, more affordable model called Cosmos that is expected to land under a $50,000 price point and broaden the brand’s customer base. That platform also anchors a commercial arrangement to supply robotaxi fleets, including work tied to Uber and a development pact with autonomous company Nuro. Lucid has said the self-driving version of its Gravity SUV is slated for testing on San Francisco streets before year’s end.

Industry observers say the shake-up could accelerate decision-making but may also raise short-term execution risks ahead of high-stakes product rollouts. “When a company reassigns top technical leads while gearing up for a major launch, there’s a trade-off between speed and continuity,” said Sophia Martinez, an automotive consultant. Lucid said it will continue to streamline operations and expects to announce further organizational changes in the coming weeks.