Are you tired of getting your ass kicked by the Tesla Model S Plaid? Want to get some revenge? Then the boys over at Lucid Motors has your answer: Lucid Air Sapphire.
Lucid Air Sapphire: The World’s First Luxury Electric Super Sedan
At the heart of Lucid Air Sapphire lies a three-motor powertrain – the first from Lucid – featuring a new twin motor rear-drive unit and a single motor front-drive unit.
These innovative electric motors incorporate Lucid’s microjet stator cooling and wave winding. The twin rear-drive unit also introduces new heat exchanger technology and heightened coolant flow rate. The battery system is also upgraded for higher power and more precise thermal logic.
With over 1,200 hp, Lucid Air Sapphire is not only the most powerful electric sedan in the world, it is the most powerful sedan in the world.
With this vast power and the enhanced delivery afforded by the twin rear-drive unit, Lucid Air Sapphire will accelerate from a standstill to 60 mph in less than two seconds, from zero to 100 mph in less than four seconds, and the standing quarter mile in under 9 seconds. What’s more, these figures are achievable with no extra-cost equipment upgrades or protracted preconditioning routines. Additionally, massive carbon ceramic disc brakes come as standard, endowing Air Sapphire with a stopping power to match its performance.
Performance in Perfect Harmony: Track-Capable Handling and Braking as Standard
Lucid Air Sapphire features stiffer front and rear springs, unique damper settings, stiffer bushings, and a unique tuning for ABS, traction, stability control, and electronic power steering. Standard carbon ceramic brakes provide exceptional stopping power and contribute to Lucid Air Sapphire’s endurance in high-performance driving. This advanced chassis setup is conceived to maximize the benefits of the torque-vectoring capabilities of the three-motor powertrain, as well as the wider, more aggressive wheels and tires. The car rides on ultra-high performance staggered Aero Sapphire wheels, with specially developed Michelin PS4S tires, sized 265/35R20 at front and 295/30R21 in the rear. These unique wheels also feature removable carbon-fiber aero disk wheel covers, which further optimize the aerodynamic efficiency of the car.
The twin rear-drive unit can effectively pivot the rear of the vehicle, providing torque to the rear wheels in opposite directions to promote either turn-in or straight-line stability – similar to a brake-based setup and a rear-wheel steering system, but faster, quieter, and more seamless. In tight corners, the system is able to apply regenerative braking on the inside wheel while powering the outside, greatly enhancing vehicle turn-in rotation and with much quicker response times than rear-wheel steering systems.
The benefits for drivers are wide-reaching, with improvements to turn-in, cornering balance across all speeds, corner exit, and high-speed stability and disturbance rejection. The driving experience differs across drive modes to give multiple characters in conjunction with steering, suspension, powertrain, and brake settings.
A New Shade of Speed: Sapphire Design, Inside and Out
The launch of the Sapphire brand from Lucid also marks the introduction of a new Sapphire Blue exterior paint, a radiant color that will be exclusive to Sapphire vehicles. Initially, all Lucid Air Sapphires will be finished exclusively in the new Sapphire Blue color to mark the brand introduction.
Lucid Air Sapphire is augmented with the recently announced Stealth Look as standard, bringing a more sinister, sporting character to the exterior of the vehicle.
The cabin of Lucid Air Sapphire offers a new interior theme called Sapphire Mojave. This includes new highly bolstered 18-way power sport seats, upholstered in black leather trimmed with black Alcantara and Sapphire Blue contrast stitching. Though designed for spirited driving, the seats still provide decadent comfort, with heating, cooling and massage functionality. The headrest showcases a debossed Lucid bear logo. Dash and doors are decorated with Mojave darkwood veneers, while the steering wheel and upper roof structure for the standard Glass Canopy roof are trimmed in black Alcantara.
Lucid Air Sapphire also features a unique Sapphire-themed on-screen display, with specially configured drive modes and performance settings.
Sapphire Is Lucid’s Performance Brand
Lucid Air Sapphire made its public debut at the Quail Lodge during Monterey Car Week. Lucid Air Sapphire will be offered as a limited-production model, with deliveries planned in the US and Canada next year. The price is $249,000 USD and $325,000 CAD. Reservations go live Tuesday, August 23, 2022 at 9 AM Pacific time.
Lucid Air Sapphire is just the beginning, representing the launch of an entirely new performance-focused brand within Lucid. Additional Sapphire models will be available for all Lucid models moving forward.
