If you thought 1,111 hp and a 0-60 mph time of 2.6 seconds from the Lucid Air Dream Edition was extreme, get a load of the Lucid Air Sapphire that broke cover on Friday at Monterey Car Week. The Sapphire adds a third motor to make more than 1,200 hp and drop the 0-60 mph time to below 2.0 seconds. It also gets a host of performance upgrades to make it the brand’s top track car.
Aimed squarely at the Tesla Model S Plaid, the Lucid Air Sapphire also promises a 0-100 mph time of less than 4.0 seconds, a quarter-mile time of less than 9.0 seconds, and a top speed in excess of 200 mph. Lucid claims that it’s the most powerful sedan in the world—electric or not.
If it wants to claim better performance than the Plaid, it will have to lap the Nürburgring in less than 7:35.579.
The third motor goes on the rear axle, and it’s joined by new heat exchanger technology and a higher coolant flow rate to handle all that power. The battery system is also upgraded to deal with more power and more heat. Each motor is capable of delivering up to 670 hp, so there is plenty of room for even more power. Lucid says it will confirm the actual horsepower number later, and show instrumented demonstrations of the car’s capability.
Lucid Air Sapphire
Lucid Air Sapphire
Lucid Air Sapphire
The car’s been developed to stop and corner, too.
“Our aim with this, our first Sapphire model, is to complement the exceptional powertrain with sharper,more responsive driving dynamics and increased body control,” said David Lickfold, Director of Chassis and Vehicle Dynamics, Lucid Group. “At the same time, it was important to retain the exceptional ride quality for which Lucid Air has come to be known.”
With that in mind, Lucid engineers stiffened the springs and bushings, tweaked the damper settings, and retuned the ABS, traction and stability control, and electric-assist power steering. They also outfitted the car with carbon-ceramic brakes and installed wider 265/35R20 front and 295/30R21 rear Michelin PS4S tires on staggered Aero Sapphire wheels. The wheels have carbon-fiber covers for better aero. However, given the performance upgrades and wider tires, expect electric range to fall below the 445 miles of the Air Grand Touring Performance.
The two rear motors can also enable advanced torque vectoring. In fact, Lucid says it can provide torque in opposite directions: the outside wheel can get the power, while the inside wheel can apply regenerative braking. Lucid says this system works faster, quieter, and more seamlessly than a brake-based setup with rear-axle steering.
Lucid Air Sapphire
Lucid Air Sapphire
Lucid Air Sapphire
Lucid has made aerodynamic changes as well, balancing added downforce with less drag, but the company didn’t detail those changes.
The release of the Sapphire also marks the addition of Sapphire Blue paint, which will adorn all of the initial cars. The brand’s dark Stealth package will also come standard on the Air Sapphire models.
Inside, the Air Sapphire gets a new color theme called Sapphire Mojave. It features dark colors with blue contrast stitching and Mojave darkwood veneers. The interior also has thickly bolstered 18-way power seats upholstered in black leather and Alcantara with standard heating, cooling, and massage. The steering wheel, upper door panels, and headliner are also covered in Alcantara. Lucid also gives the car a special screen display and its own drive modes and performance settings. A photo shows Sapphire, Dragstrip, Hot Lap, and Endurance modes, plus a lap timer.
The Air Sapphire will start at $249,000 before destination. The first deliveries will begin in the first half of next year, and interested buyers will be able to enter the reservations starting on Aug. 23. Lucid noted that all future models will get Sapphire versions, making it the brand’s performance moniker.