Photo: Lucid
After years of struggling to position itself in such a way as to allow it to become a pillar of the electric car market, American company Lucid seems to have finally reached that point. And now that it is almost always in the news, it pushes the accelerator pedal even further.
At the time of writing Lucid is betting a lot on a model called Air. The EV is available in four versions, namely Pure, Touring, Grand Touring, and Sapphire. It's the latter that's of interest to us today.
The Lucid Air Sapphire is not technically here yet, with the carmaker still in the process of taking reservations and with production not scheduled to begin before September 2023. That's not that long from now, if you think about it, and that prompted Lucid to release additional (and final) details about what this version of the Air will be all about.
We'll start with the powertrain, of course, because that's where all the fun is. The Sapphire comes with a three-motor setup, one installed on the front axle and two at the rear. Combined, the trio of motors delivers 1,234 hp and 1,430 lb-ft of torque, placing the vehicle at the top of the food chain in its segment, surpassing even the Tesla Model S Plaid.
That's more than enough for the specifically-designed wheels wrapped in unique Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires to spin and accelerate the car from a standstill to 60 mph in 1.89 seconds. The quarter-mile run is done in 8.95 seconds –both these times are also faster than the Plaid, if you were wondering.
The Sapphire offers a total of four drive modes, namely Smooth, Swift, Sapphire, and Track, with the latter offering three sub-modes (Dragstrip, Hot Lap, and Endurance). Each of them is meant to change the car's settings when it comes to suspension, steering, brakes, torque vectoring, peak power and torque, and thermal controls.
Choosing one mode or the other could of course impact range, but generally speaking, when driven to EPA requirements, the maximum range the Sapphire can reach is 427 miles (687 km). Charging is done with a 900V+ system.
Like all the other versions in the Air offering, the Sapphire does have some elements that are unique to it. The most obvious are the special blue color pulled over the body, the carbon fiber aero wheels sized 20 inches at the front and 21 inches at the rear, and the Stealth Look trim.
The interior, which is accessible through soft-close doors, offers a theme called Saphire Mojave and seats that have been specifically designed for this model. For a dashboard we get the 34-inch Lucid UX floating cockpit, with a theme unique to this model. Sound inside the vehicle is ensured by a small army of speakers, 21 of them.
Lucid sells the Air Sapphire for no less than $249,000 when fully equipped, but not including tax, title, registration, and other fees – that too is more, a lot more, than the Plaid with which it is so often compared.
Judging by the specs of the car we can safely say we're faced with an incredible piece of engineering. It remains to be seen how much the hefty price of the vehicle will scare potential customers away.
The Lucid Air Sapphire is not technically here yet, with the carmaker still in the process of taking reservations and with production not scheduled to begin before September 2023. That's not that long from now, if you think about it, and that prompted Lucid to release additional (and final) details about what this version of the Air will be all about.
We'll start with the powertrain, of course, because that's where all the fun is. The Sapphire comes with a three-motor setup, one installed on the front axle and two at the rear. Combined, the trio of motors delivers 1,234 hp and 1,430 lb-ft of torque, placing the vehicle at the top of the food chain in its segment, surpassing even the Tesla Model S Plaid.
That's more than enough for the specifically-designed wheels wrapped in unique Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires to spin and accelerate the car from a standstill to 60 mph in 1.89 seconds. The quarter-mile run is done in 8.95 seconds –both these times are also faster than the Plaid, if you were wondering.
The Sapphire offers a total of four drive modes, namely Smooth, Swift, Sapphire, and Track, with the latter offering three sub-modes (Dragstrip, Hot Lap, and Endurance). Each of them is meant to change the car's settings when it comes to suspension, steering, brakes, torque vectoring, peak power and torque, and thermal controls.
Choosing one mode or the other could of course impact range, but generally speaking, when driven to EPA requirements, the maximum range the Sapphire can reach is 427 miles (687 km). Charging is done with a 900V+ system.
Like all the other versions in the Air offering, the Sapphire does have some elements that are unique to it. The most obvious are the special blue color pulled over the body, the carbon fiber aero wheels sized 20 inches at the front and 21 inches at the rear, and the Stealth Look trim.
The interior, which is accessible through soft-close doors, offers a theme called Saphire Mojave and seats that have been specifically designed for this model. For a dashboard we get the 34-inch Lucid UX floating cockpit, with a theme unique to this model. Sound inside the vehicle is ensured by a small army of speakers, 21 of them.
Lucid sells the Air Sapphire for no less than $249,000 when fully equipped, but not including tax, title, registration, and other fees – that too is more, a lot more, than the Plaid with which it is so often compared.
Judging by the specs of the car we can safely say we're faced with an incredible piece of engineering. It remains to be seen how much the hefty price of the vehicle will scare potential customers away.
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