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Lucid Air Becomes MotorTrend's 2022 Car of the Year

Very few electric cars were ever selected as the Car of the Year by Motor Trend. The first was the Tesla Model S in 2013, followed by the Chevy Bolt EV in 2017. We can’t say that this is because there are few EVs around. In the 2022 edition, there were five of them. Unlike most previous awards, one ended up as the winner: the Lucid Air.
Lucid Air Wins MotorTrend's 2022 Car of the Year Award 7 photos
Photo: Lucid
Lucid Air Wins MotorTrend's 2022 Car of the Year AwardLucid Air Wins MotorTrend's 2022 Car of the Year AwardLucid Air Wins MotorTrend's 2022 Car of the Year AwardLucid Air Wins MotorTrend's 2022 Car of the Year AwardLucid Air Wins MotorTrend's 2022 Car of the Year AwardLucid Air Wins MotorTrend's 2022 Car of the Year Award
Among the electric cars that competed, the newcomer managed to beat the Mercedes-Benz EQS and the Porsche Taycan, which critics praise for luxury, performance, behavior, or energy efficiency. When a car from a company that did not exist before it emerged leaves the best efforts of Mercedes-Benz and Porsche behind it, that speaks a bunch about what this machine is.

Motor Trend says that the contenders for the award do not compete with each other. Instead, they have to do well in six criteria: advancement in design, efficiency, engineering excellence, performance of intended function, safety, and value. Although some of them are self-explanatory, at least one deserves more attention.

When Motor Trend evaluates performance of intended function, it checks if the manufacturer’s objectives for a given car were achieved. In the Air’s case, the car had to be as luxurious as a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, as responsive as some Lotus cars, and offer 500 miles of range.

Although the pre-production vehicles Motor Trend evaluated presented some finishing issues, the American magazine considered that it met all these goals. Tellingly, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class was also competing for Car of the Year – and you already know which car was the winner.

Apart from being conceived in California and being electric, the Lucid Air and the Tesla Model S have another point in common: Peter Rawlinson has worked on both projects. In the Air, the Lucid CEO had more responsibility and more freedom to do what he wanted. This is where engineering excellence comes from, with unique solutions that made the electric sedan engaging and highly efficient compared to its competitors.

Ironically, there was not a single Tesla among the 16 vehicles that competed for the 2022 Car of the Year award. Tesla may be asking if Rawlinson would not accept an engineering freelance gig to help it win another title. The man has already proven he can do it.



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About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
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Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
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