Lucid Motors will continue to move upmarket with a high-performance version of the company’s Air electric sedan called Sapphire, using its technology to compete with the likes of Tesla, Mercedes-Benz and BMW at the high end of the market,” said Jeff Curry, Lucid’s vice president of marketing. “From a price and positioning standpoint, We will definitely be pushing the brand further upmarket.
We’re targeting people who might buy a Mercedes AMG or BMW M model and need to find a similar product if they want to buy an electric car. This will be our high-performance electric car.” The Air Sapphire is set to launch next year.
While competitors such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW have already launched their own electric models, Lucid believes that the company’s in-house technology and the good reputation it has gained in the industry can help the company succeed in the future.
So far, Lucid has launched only one model, the Air, and the company said they expect to start delivering the Air Pure version, which costs $87,400, by the end of this year. However, some analysts say the company is currently focusing on producing a higher-priced version amid low production and mounting financial losses at Lucid’s Arizona plant.
The company’s Air maintains the highest EPA range at 520 miles (about 837 kilometers) and also the lowest energy consumption in its class. In addition, the Air’s 900-volt architecture makes it the fastest charging electric model. And the Air Sapphire will offer even more performance while maintaining those advantages.
Lucid said the Air Sapphire will have a range of more than 400 miles (about 640 kilometers), and it will feature a three-motor layout with an output of 1,200 horsepower. The company said such a configuration would make it the most powerful sedan model in the world in terms of performance, both fuel and electric.
The Air Sapphire’s zero-hundred acceleration time will be under two seconds, similar to the Tesla Model S Plaid, which also has a three-motor layout, but with a lower output of 1,020 horsepower. Tesla’s website shows that the starting price of the Model S Plaid is $137,440.
When we were designing Lucid Air, it was clear that luxury positioning was the most important thing at the time,” said Derek Jenkins, Lucid’s senior vice president of brand and design. That said, performance has always been one of our concerns, and the top-of-the-line version of the Air already offers great performance. But, to satisfy the needs of avid performance enthusiasts, we wanted to take the vehicle to another level of performance with Sapphire.”
In fact, when it first began designing the Air, Lucid set aside space for two rear motors. The three-motor layout will allow the Air Sapphire to reach a top speed of 200 mph (about 320 km/h.) Erich Bach, Lucid’s senior vice president of product and chief engineer, revealed that the Sapphire version of the Air will feature larger tires, unique wheels, carbon fiber brakes and upgraded suspension to show off its prowess on the track.
