Judging by the company's official Twitter account, it appears that deliveries for the Lucid Air Dream Edition are just getting underway. In the social media post, Lucid Air electric sedans all covered up in protective wrapping are sitting on a delivery truck, seemingly on their way to the driveways of waiting customers. In total, six sedans are pictured, though there's no telling how many have so far rolled out of the factory in Casa Grande, Arizona.

Lucid plans to build 520 Air Dream Edition sedans, each spinning out a total of 1,080 horsepower, a range of 520 miles and carrying an asking price of $169,000. Reports from the company about a month ago pegged initial deliveries before the end of October, so it seems the automaker is right on schedule with these initial models.

So far, Lucid claims to have more than 13,000 reservations for its Air sedan, though the breakdown of trim levels isn't known. The base version carries an asking price of at least $77,400. For comparison, the Tesla Model S currently (and we mean that literally, since the price is constantly changing) costs $94,990 to start.

The Lucid Air Is the 2022 MotorTrend Car of the Year

Once again, a high-performing, long-range, game-changing electric sedan from a California startup earns our Golden Calipers.

Nov 15, 2021

Automotive progress usually happens in baby steps. Slowly, like a white oak sapling growing in a forest. But every now and then a new car jumps off the automotive forest floor like a rainbow eucalyptus, advancing like crazy while making a colorful splash. The Air sedan from startup EV-maker Lucid is just such a car, and its level of innovation and sophistication are as fresh and unexpected as multicolored tree bark.

A year or two ago, most of you and many of us might have said, "Lucid? Are they still going? I thought they were foundering like Byton, Faraday Future, Dyson, Nio…" Lucid is very much still going. It's helmed by experts cherry-picked from various successful automakers and it's funded sufficiently to launch this Air sedan while developing its next model, the Gravity SUV.

Were we wowed by the whopping numbers Lucid has been touting recently -- up to 1,111 horsepower and 1,390 lb-ft of torque in the Air Dream P edition and up to 520 miles of EPA-official range in the Dream R edition? No. Anyone can buy big numbers by installing giant motors and batteries. Rather, it's the sophisticated way Lucid achieves them in a package that ranks highly in each of our six key criteria that captured our attention and our calipers.


Engineering Excellence

The tiny, power-dense motor that generates those headline-grabbing specs does so with an innovative new stator winding consisting of 24 square copper wires "woven" into a convenient assembly requiring minimal bonding. To better manage the intense heat these wires generate under full power, Lucid moved the cooling passages down to the narrow spaces between winding channels, utilizing magnetic-field "dead zones" in the stator body. The rotor squeezes more reluctance torque out of the same amount of rare-earth magnets by optimizing their positioning.

Then, instead of multiplying the motor's torque and then sending it through beefy differential gears, Lucid packages a small, light diff inside the rotor. Yes, this design requires two reduction gears, but placing a compact planetary unit on each side of the motor keeps things light and results in a complete drive unit with triple the power density of the leading competitors.

While the chemistry of the cylindrical batteries is conventional, the pack is designed to simplify automated assembly in a patented and award-winning injection-molded case that incorporates all the power-conducting bus bars. The cells connect to these bars via new lower-resistance ribbon connectors instead of wires, and heat gets conducted away from the ends of the cells instead of from the sides. Lucid says this results in more efficient cooling and easier installation, and it eliminates heavy, costly adhesive in the pack.

The entire electric powertrain was designed and developed in-house, including the "wunderbox" electronic controller that manages the Air's 900-volt electrical system. It's bi-directional, so it can provide "jump charging" to other EVs. It can manage 19.2 kW of level-2 home charging, it upconverts DC fast-charging power from 400 volts in older stations, and it can accept 300kW (or more) of the latest 800-volt "juice." That makes the Lucid Air today's fastest charging EV, capable of adding 300 miles in 20 minutes.


Efficiency

The initial Lucid Air Dream and Grand Touring models will deliver 451-520 miles of range from just 118 and 112 kWh of battery capacity, respectively. Later, a 92-kWh pack will provide 400-ish miles of range (and several more inches of foot and legroom in the back seat). Lucid is squeezing a remarkable number of miles from each kilowatt-hour in this S-Class-competitive luxury sedan, thanks in part to Formula 1 racing-derived aerodynamic tricks that contribute to a drag coefficient of just 0.200.

These include leveraging the low-pressure properties of vortex airflow to help suck extra air into the front cooling ducts and to keep air attached to the smooth underbody's diffuser fences. The wing shape of its fascia air curtain ducts actually produces negative drag, and its hood ducts exhaust high-pressure air from the front. Narrow tires and a low roofline minimize frontal area to lower overall drag enough to allow most models to achieve higher efficiency on the highway than in the city—that's rare for EVs and plug-ins.

With EPA combined ratings that range from 111-131 mpg-e the Lucid Air is America's most efficient large electric sedan, ranking just ahead of the Tesla Model S (96-120 mpg-e), and well in front of the Audi E-tron GT and Porsche Taycan (70-79 mpg-e). The Mercedes EQS is not yet rated.


Advancement in Design

Lucid CEO/CTO Peter Rawlinson joined Tesla as chief vehicle engineer too late to influence the Model S' exterior design, so he was determined to let his Lucid Air capitalize on its compact powertrain. The result is a sedan that delivers a Mercedes S-Class interior envelope within an E-Class' overall length and wheelbase.

Design and engineering consultant Chris Theodore found "the profile of this cab-forward, low-cowl design to be sleek, with a long-wheelbase, short-overhang inverted-jellybean shape that is quite attractive." Features editor Seabaugh praised its "gorgeous-looking, purposeful, clean, classic lines that remind me of classic French cars from the '60s."

Lucid further advances design with its ultra-slim micro-lens array LED headlamps. They produce a light pattern that's as bright, white, and uniform as the benchmark S-Class headlamp, but the overall package is just 40 percent as big, and they don't require motors to provide cornering illumination. Even the broad cross-car taillamp delivers the look of an OLED light, but in a simpler, more robust package that avoids the laser-etched metal competing designs employ.

The interior design blazes its own trail, eschewing both the wall-to-wall screen concept of the Mercedes EQS and Tesla's fanatical minimalism. The Air mixes colors and materials in fresh ways, blending cloth, Alcântara, and perforated leather, with contrast stitching. Making the front and rear seats different colors lends an avantgarde feel.

Form necessarily followed function in lowering the roofline to minimize drag, and this forces taller drivers like 6-foot-4 buyers-guide editor Zach Gale to look out the windshield through the blue tinted portion at the top. Low rear door openings caused even our shortest judges to bonk their heads on the roof while climbing in back, but everyone appreciated the 90-degree rear door opening angle.


Performance of Intended Function

Rawlinson established a daunting list of "intended functions" for the Air to fulfill: S-Class levels of ride comfort and luxury, a chassis with the nimbleness and control responsiveness of the Lotus cars he chief-engineered, and 500 miles of electric driving range. Yikes.

As for matching an S-Class, that low frontal-area requirement means Lucid trails in head- and shoulder-room, with rear legroom trailing by a significant 8 inches in the models with the biggest battery. The Air slays in trunk space, however, offering 3.4 cubic feet more of it in the conventional trunk, plus a bonus 10.0-cubic-foot frunk, for 32.1 cubic feet total.

The Lucid pairs Bilstein Damptronic Sky adjustable shocks like those Mercedes uses, but pairs them with coil springs (the S-Class and EQS use air springs). Most judges found the ride quality to be amply luxurious in the most comfortable "Smooth" drive mode.

"In Smooth, the Air is comfortable and quiet, if slightly floaty; in Swift it feels like a great all-rounder," said features editor Seabaugh, adding, "in Sprint it may not shrink on you like the Taycan, but this big sedan is genuinely enjoyable to work around the track." Guest judge Theodore concurred "Amazing in its ability to hustle around corners. In Sprint mode, electric nannies are minimized and when they intrude, they do so subtly. Brakes are powerful but feel a bit artificial." Speaking of brakes, several judges begged for the option of little or no regenerative braking, while others felt the higher "max regen" setting could be even stronger.

It's in Swift and Sprint modes that the Lucid Air really distinguishes itself from the Mercedes competition. This mere 800-hp version whooshes through the quarter at 130.1 mph. That's faster than every EV except the Tesla Model S Plaid and Porsche Taycan Turbo S, and the 1,111-hp Dream P is sure to give them a run for their money.

In terms of features and amenities, the Lucid pretty well matches Mercedes, gizmo for gizmo, though the execution—at least on our pre-production Air model—doesn't always compare favorably. The Lucid's seat-massage programs—several of which offer both vibration and kneading—drew praise. So did its in-house designed Dolby Atmos Surreal Sound system, which Theodore declared to be "by far the best I've ever listened to, in competitive products or audiophile home systems." Sadly, not every judge got to experience it, due to system glitches. Pre-prod gremlins also afflicted the Highway Assist system (which will eventually be upgradable to various levels of autonomy), the door handles, the power closing frunk, and more.

The heavily screen-centric user interface drew some criticism. Many judges complained about features buried three menus deep, and Stoklosa questioned the wisdom of drawing the driver's attention to the screen when adjusting the mirrors or steering position. "Some things didn't need disrupting." But most grudgingly agreed with senior online editor Golden's assessment: "With some practice, it's somewhat easy to use."


Safety

Objective data is frequently lacking on brand-new vehicles, especially from startup manufacturers, particularly when they're lower-volume luxury brands. But the Lucid Air features all the expected active and passive safety systems, and its full driver-assist system appears state-of-the-art, boasting 32 sensors:14 cameras, 12 ultrasonic and five radar sensors, and one high-resolution lidar unit. And prep for future autonomy includes a completely redundant backup controller for the electric power steering, which features a motor with 12 addressable power phases (only three of which are required to steer the car). Granted, our test vehicle couldn't center itself in the lane as reliably as a Honda Civic, but we're assured it's just a software, firmware, and/or hardware update away from class competitiveness.


Value

Here again, as when we evaluated that original Tesla Model S, we have no objective data on which to base any assessment of long-term resale value or ownership costs, except to note that EVs generally enjoy lower maintenance and higher depreciation costs than their combustion counterparts. We only evaluated a Grand Touring model, but we also sat in a Touring variant with the smaller battery pack and roomier rear footwells, and judges considered the entire lineup, which will add an entry-level Air Pure model with 480 hp and a 406-mile range in mid-2022. That car is expected to retail for $77,400 (shinnying under $70K after the tax credit and becoming price competitive with upper Mercedes E-Class models). That strikes us as a lot of car for the money, while at the top of the price range the $169,000 Dream P will deliver 2.3-times the power for "just" 2.2-times the money.

The Lucid Air did not instantly win all of our hearts. Many judges expressed dire concern that if Lucid fails to rectify the many wonky quirks our prototype suffered, the brand and car could go down in history as a 21st century Tucker or Chevy Vega. Some older judges assuaged these fears by highlighting the many similarities between this car and company and the Tesla we awarded in 2013. In the long run, we believe electric vehicles are the way forward for cars and mobility, and the way forward for electric vehicles is continuous improvement of electric batteries, motors, and charging. That's why the great looking, strong performing, tech-leapfrogging Lucid Air is MotorTrend's 2022 Car of the Year.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-20-...ia-11626687002

The $20 Billion Winner of the American EV Startup Boom: Saudi Arabia

World’s largest exporter of oil made well-timed bet on Lucid Motors

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1966161/business-economy

Abdul Latif Jameel family wealth up by $11.5bn after Rivian's IPO

It was the Lucid Air Dream Edition Range's turn to undergo the InsideEVs 70-mph highway range test, and boy did it deliver. We knew going into the range test that the Air would likely crush the 310-mile range test results we achieved on a 2021 Tesla Model 3 in our 70-mph range test, which was our range test leader until now. The only question that remained was by how much.

We've been trying to schedule this test for the past 2 months but had to cancel once due to bad weather, and another time because I came down with COVID, but Lucid has been very accommodating and told us the vehicle would be ready when we were, and they delivered as promised last week in Arizona.
Lucid provided us with a production Lucid Air Dream Edition Range with the 19" Aero wheels which is the configuration that is EPA certified at 520 miles per charge. If you put the 21" wheels on this same vehicle, the EPA range rating drops to 481 miles, which is still more than any other electric vehicle - and by a wide margin.

As always, we started out the day by DC fast charging the Air to get the battery nice and warm for peak performance. The temperature was 51° F (10.5° C) when we started the day, which isn't really ideal conditions for range testing. However, by the end of the day, the temperature had crept up to 69° F (20.5° C) which is much more range-friendly.

As always, we set the tires to the manufacturer's recommended pressure, which was 49psi. We had the climate control set to 68 degrees as we do with all of the cars we test. We put the Air in the most efficient driving mode which is "Smooth", and tested the speedometer to GPS for accuracy.

The Air's speedometer was a little fast, as 70-mph on the speedometer was showing 68-69 mph on multiple GPS apps that we use to calibrate the speed. Therefore, we set the Air's adaptive cruise control to 72 mph to arrive at a true 70-mph for the test.

We finished up with 500 miles and a consumption rating of 4.3 mi/kWhThe Air's range and consumption rate were fairly consistent in each quarter of the range test. The beginning of the test delivered the worst range as 100% to 75% only netted 120 miles.

The following three-quarters of the trip achieved 128, 126, & 126, respectively. The consumption rate remained consistent and was on 4.3 mi per kWh for the vast majority of the drive, and only dropped down to 4.2 mi/kWh on occasion.
When the range test was over, we had used 117+ kWh of the Air's 118 kWh usable battery capacity, so we really ran it down to a completely drained battery. We drove the Air for six miles after the state of charge read zero, and about 3 more miles after the display said we had consumed 117 kWh on the trip. That leads us to believe we had less than .25 kWh left in the battery when we ended the test.We wanted to see it reach 118 kWh on the display screen, but the vehicle started to become unresponsive and wasn't accelerating when we pressed the go pedal. At that point, we figured it was time to end the test and plug the Air into the Electrify America DC fast charger.

Lucid uses the 5-cycle test procedure to certify its vehicle's range with the EPA. Tesla, Audi, Polestar, and Rivian also use the 5-cycle test, while all other OEMs use the 2-cycle test. The 2-cycle test is a simpler method and OEMs must deduct 30% of the range the vehicle achieves on the 2-cycle test.

When using the 5-cycle test, since they complete three more test cycles, manufacturers don't have to deduct the full 30%. They do have to adjust the number downward, but it isn't a straight 30%, and it varies depending on the vehicle and the results of the 5-cycle test.
In our 70-mph highway range tests, vehicles that have been EPA certified using the 5-cycle test, tend to perform less favorably as compared to their EPA range figure than EVs that have been range certified using the 2-cycle test.

Tesla vehicles, for instance, usually underperform their EPA range number by 10% to 13%. The Air actually did very well in this regard, falling only 4% short of its EPA range rating (surprisingly, the highway, city, and combined range rating for the Air Dream Edition Range are all 520 miles).So check out the video and let us know what you think in the comment section below. Impressed? Not surprised? Whatever your opinion, we'd like to hear your thoughts on the Lucid Air Dream Edition Range achieving a 500-mile range on our 70-mph range test.

Charging up the Lucid Air after driving 500 miles in the InsideEVs 70-mph range test.About our 70-mph range tests:

We want to make it clear our range tests aren't perfect. There are variables simply out of our control like wind, traffic, and weather. However, we do our best to control what we can. We always set the tires to the manufacturer's recommended pressure, we crosscheck the speedometer with a GPS for accuracy, we DC fast charge up to 100 percent and enter the highway either immediately or within a couple of miles. Then we drive at a constant 70 mph and in long loops so we end up either where we started, or very close by.

Driving conditions, temperature, and topography will affect an EVs driving range and our 70-mph range tests serve only as a guideline of approximately what you should expect if you drive the same EV under similar conditions.

Lucid took steps to complete the functionality of its advanced driving-assistance suite DreamDrive Pro and is now ready to charge money for the feature. After adding missing Adaptive Cruise Control, Automatic Emergency Braking, and more, Lucid has announced DreamDrive Pro pricing for customers in the U.S. and Canada.
19 photos

The DreamDrive Pro suite includes advanced driving assistance features, as well as semi-autonomous driving capability similar to Tesla’s FSD software. It was incomplete at the time the first Airs started to deliver, but Lucid quickly started an update spree to bring the DreamDrive Pro in line with customers’ expectations.

The updates started on Wednesday, February 2 with the DreamDrive Part 1, update 1.1.4, and continued the next day with Part 2 (1.1.5). Both updates help make the DreamDrive Pro a usable assistance package, while also optimizing various software functions. Some customers also reported a further 1.17 update went through with further refinements, specifically to the sensitivity of the Distracted Driver Alert and Drowsy Driver Alert to more accurately detect unattentive driving.

With all the missing parts patched and glitches ironed out, Lucid moved to monetize the DreamDrive Pro and announced its FSD-fighting suite’s pricing for North America. Of course, DreamDrive Pro comes standard in the Lucid Air Dream Edition, as well as the Grand Touring trim, so you need not worry about the price if you ordered one of them.

For other Air versions, DreamDrive Pro’s is an optional add-on with a price that starts at $9,000 in the U.S., which is a lot less than the $12,000 Tesla asks for its Full Self-Driving suite. In Canada, Lucid’s customers are not that lucky, though: the DreamDrive Pro’s price goes to 12,000 CAD. This is significantly more than the 10,600 CAD Tesla asks for its FSD suite.

Lucid Air uses “up to 32 sensors” to provide full DreamDrive Pro functionality, including cameras, radar, ultrasonic sensors as well as long-distance high-resolution LiDAR. DreamDrive is supposed to act as an invisible co-pilot that helps the driver rather than replaces him.

Lucid Group has announced its first recall action for 203 Air electric vehicles over incorrectly installed strut dampers.

In an emailed notice sent to owners of affected vehicles, Lucid informed them there's a chance the front strut dampers were manufactured improperly by the part supplier. More specifically, they have the snap ring, which is located directly below the coil spring seat, installed in the wrong orientation.
"This condition may result in a sudden loss of ground clearance, vehicle vibration and front brake line damage, increasing the risk of a crash."
While the defect could increase the likelihood of a collision, Lucid says it has received no reports of any strut damper failures in any of its Air electric luxury sedans.

To fix the issue, Lucid Group said it will inspect both front strut dampers on impacted vehicles at its Lucid Studios, Lucid Service Centers or Lucid Customer Care locations. The affected parts will be replaced if necessary at no extra cost to customers.

The inspection will take approximately one hour; if one or both front struts need to be replaced, the entire process could take up to four hours. The recall number is 22V090, but it is not yet available on the NHTSA website.

That said, the action appears to be a precautionary recall, as the EV startup estimates that only 1% of the 203 vehicles that form part of the recall are actually impacted by this issue. The recall population is roughly 40% of the Lucid Air Dream Edition's production run of 520 vehicles.

The company started building the $169,000 launch edition version of its first-ever production vehicle in September 2021 at its plant in Casa Grande, Arizona. Lucid Air deliveries started on October 30, 2021, but the exact number of cars shipped to customers is not yet available.

Still, seeing as the company is recalling 203 vehicles, it's safe to assume at least those are already in customer hands.

Lucid Group shares (LCID) fell by almost 5% after the voluntary recall was announced. The company is scheduled to report its fourth-quarter 2021 results after the market close on February 28.

Lucid Group Inc. slumped after lowering its production target for this year to between 12,000 and 14,000 cars, down from a previous goal of 20,000, citing “extraordinary” challenges with logistics and its supply chain.

The maker of luxury electric vehicles also came up short on its goal for deliveries last year. Lucid delivered 125 of its Air sedans in the final quarter after planning to ship more than 500, it said in an earnings statement after the close of trading Monday. Lucid also delayed the launch of its second vehicle, the Gravity SUV, from 2023 to the first half of 2024.

“The delay will allow competitor offerings more time in the market in advance of Lucid,” Ali Faghri, an analyst at Guggenheim Securities, said in a note Tuesday. The postponement “could make taking incremental market share in a more competitive market challenging.” The firm noted “overwhelmingly positive” reviews on Lucid vehicles so far.

Lucid tumbled 13% to $25.35 before the start of regular trading Tuesday in New York. The stock had dropped 24% this year through Monday.

The company has produced more than 400 Air sedans and has delivered more than 300 to customers. It reported more than 25,000 reservations for the vehicle and booked $26.4 million in fourth-quarter revenue.

Lucid is struggling more to secure supplies of parts such as window glass and interior carpeting than of computer chips, shortages of which have tripped up other automakers, Chief Executive Officer Peter Rawlinson said on a conference call. The carmaker is navigating the procurement issues by offering to help key suppliers with logistical problems, switching contracts to new suppliers and bringing some processes in-house.

What Bloomberg Intelligence Says

“Heavy capital spending approaching $2 billion in 2022, combined with slashed production targets due to supply-chain constraints, may chew up more than half of Lucid’s $6.2 billion of cash this year, a bump in the road for its long-term aspirations. A capital raise is possible this year.” -- Joel Levington, BI credit analyst

Rawlinson said in the statement that he expects the supply-chain issues to ease in the second half of this year and expressed confidence that Lucid is poised to capitalize on demand for its vehicles.

A 2.85 million-square-foot expansion of its Casa Grande, Arizona, vehicle assembly facility is “on track,” according to the statement. Lucid also said it recently leased land in Saudi Arabia where it plans to build its second factory. Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund owns more than 60% of Lucid.

Lucid said Monday that it expects to start construction on the Saudi Arabian factory this year. Chairman Andrew Liveris previously told Bloomberg TV that he expects the second plant to open by 2026.

Lucid became one of two electric-vehicle producers to make their first deliveries late last year, along with Amazon.com Inc.-backed Rivian Automotive Inc. Newark, California-based Lucid is targeting a much higher-end buyer than Rivian; the initial version of Lucid’s Air sedan costs $169,000.

The Air’s launch has had problems. Lucid last week issued a recall over a potential safety defect. The company also shipped some of the first sedans without a promised driver-assistance feature, which the company promised to add after delivery through an over-the-air software update.

Tesla has shown little interest in the past in testing other carmakers’ models, probably being overly confident in the superiority of their technology. Nevertheless, things have changed, and a flyover video from around the Fremont factory caught a Lucid Air doing testing rounds on Tesla’s test track.
7 photos

Being the disruptor in the market, Tesla didn’t see much use in benchmarking or reverse-engineering cars from rival carmakers. There weren’t other EVs on the market at the time, to begin with. Things have changed in the past years, and Tesla faces stiff competition from incumbent carmakers and new contenders on the market. Up until now, Tesla vehicles were disassembled and analyzed by rivals, but it seems the table has turned.

Lucid is one of the new startups in the market that threatens Tesla’s position as the chief EV innovator. Lucid has a special relationship with Tesla, as the company was founded by Bernard Tse, a former Tesla Vice President and board member, and is currently run by Peter Rawlinson, former Tesla VP and Model S Chief Engineer. Elon Musk recently dismissed Lucid Air’s record EPA range of over 500 miles, saying Tesla could’ve done a 600-mile vehicle, but that would’ve made the product worse.

Despite dismissal by Elon Musk, Lucid has potential and it now appears that the Texan EV maker took notice of Lucid Air’s performance. While doing a drone flyover video around the Fremont factory, YouTuber Met God in Wilderness surprised a Lucid Air being driven on Tesla’s test track. More specifically, the test driver appeared to test the launch control system of the Lucid Air, but also the overall behavior during a few laps on the track.

Since we don’t think Lucid has come to test its cars on Tesla’s track, this is probably Tesla trying to better understand the threat Lucid might pose to its dominance. While Tesla’s advances in battery development are indisputable, Lucid has achieved impressive results in efficiency with the Air. Lucid’s very compact drivetrain might’ve also got Tesla’s interest, although this would not grant a test on the track.

Either way, it’s good to see Tesla acknowledging competition. Hopefully, this might temper the EV maker’s frenzy for raising the prices of its vehicles. It has happened before, back in 2020, when Tesla decided to lower the price of the Model S after Lucid has announced the base price of the Air. Competition is good for everybody, as it also means better products and further innovation that everybody will benefit from.

Sprawling over a Royal property, the Goodwood Festival of Speed would be as unorthodox of a space for a car event as the mind could conjure. If it weren't for the decades of hillclimb history, the ordained estate doesn't appear to be the place for raucous motors and drift-car figure-eights. And yet the venue and event are steeped in enthusiast tradition, one that has accounted for years of manufacturer reveals and historic motorsports news.

The nature of tradition is inherently stagnant and the Goodwood Festival of Speed has largely maintained the same format since its inception. Sure, the rally stage ran backward this year but the significant changes year-to-year are the vehicles running up the hill. A Bomb Pop painted Ferrari 296 GTS and preserved BMW E30 M3s run minutes after the Beast of Turin and Wayne Rainey's return to the motorcycle. That is to say, a band of familiar faces and cars you may never see again populate the paddocks and leave their mark on a hillside full of fanatics.

"It perplexes me," said Peter Rawlinson, CEO of Lucid Motors, in an interview with Autoweek. "I'm a complete dyed in the wool petrol head, and I don't miss the note of an exhaust pipe at all." He went on to say, "The visceral experience of driving an EV is unsurpassed."

Of course, that's easy for the CEO of a halo EV company to say. But the Lucid Air is a special car, one that defies its own visual presence and market competitors. Enthusiasm for EVs, or a lack thereof, seems to partially be centered around packaging. The McLarens and Corvettes of the world are flashy, angular, and aggressively designed to instill a sporty sensibility. And while packaging is vital to CEOs like Rawlinson, the Lucid Airs and Polestar 5s of the world look like slightly elevated luxury sedans while quietly beating a McLaren up the hill.

Discussing the beginnings of Lucid, Rawlinson referenced his time at Lotus and his desire to make smaller cars. Packaging EV componentry into compact spaces is no small task, especially when you're attempting to make a supercar level of power. "If we can miniaturize the powertrain, we can make a bigger car on the inside, smaller car on the outside," Rawlinson explained. "It was like, 'Well, hey, why don't we miniaturize the electrification so we can do something new?'"

The result is a hyper-sedan that exhibits the driving performance of something much smaller and more expensive. The $179,000 Grand Touring Performance model is aggressively priced, but it is comparatively cheap to those looking to buy 1000 hp. Power numbers and 0-60 times aren't the indicators of a good car and the high-powered Lucid trims have faced criticism that the power levels may not be usable. And weighing in at over 5000 pounds, it's a heavy sedan by all accounts.

These sorts of judgments are fair, especially in a world where fledgling car companies all claim to have reinvented the blueprint of a centuries-old machine. However, Lucid actually has created something semi-original and largely competitive, if at times similar to Tesla. Forgetting the drivetrain for a moment, any world of car enthusiasts should be captivated by the tale of a 1000-hp, five-seat, all-wheel-drive sedan that outruns their favorite supercar. And the Air has practicality, to boot.

Still, Lucid Motors has encountered significant challenges in its journey to deliver the Air sedan. Production numbers have fallen severely short of claimed targets. Prices recently climbed about 12%. Interior instrumentation was subject to recall. It's also unclear if a more accessible, mass-market car is on the way. At this point, the company is maxing out its current capacity while building an additional production facility—a recipe for slowed delivery times.
Perhaps the biggest problem of all is reception. At Goodwood, EVs were appreciated as performance machines but still were somewhat ignored. The record-breaking Speirling and drifting Rimac Nevera elicited roaring cheers from the crowd, spectators craning their necks to catch a fleeting glimpse of the EV powerhouses. Race cars, like the First Corner FC1X, were nearly as loud as some production combustion-engine cars—a combination of pitched electric motors and transmission whine.

The Lucid, however, was hard to catch. It was very fast and in a clean, undramatic manner. Yet, the announcers rarely caught the lightning-quick sedan until it was partially up the hill. The car ran inconspicuously in the First Glance group, a run dedicated to new and upcoming models or technologies, without much auditory warning. Throughout the property, audiences seemed similarly underwhelmed, with many joking that they didn't realize anything went by.

Such is the paradox for EV companies catering to enthusiasts. While they can create a car that is the fastest on the hill, with ungodly power and sharp handling, an uphill battle against tradition persists. Making noise, through heightened engine revolutions and mechanical gear changes, is central to Goodwood and to car enthusiasm as a whole. Lucid loses out in this sense, fighting a century-long tradition. As the status quo of the auto industry shifts, tire squeal and motor whine may become the sounds of future automotive generations to come. Cruising at 100 mph in silence doesn't sound so bad either.

Lucid Group, Inc., setting new standards with the longest-range, fastest-charging electric car on the market with the award-winning Lucid Air, introduced Sapphire, Lucid's new ultra-high-performance brand, led by the new Lucid Air Sapphire - the world's first fully electric luxury super-sports sedan.

"Last year, Lucid rocked the world with the launch of Lucid Air, a fusion of unsurpassed range, efficiency, superior driving dynamics, and interior space, uniquely enabled by our in-house technology." said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO, Lucid Group. "Today, with the introduction of the Sapphire line, we take the next logical step of advancement. Lucid Air Sapphire, being the very first Lucid product to bear the Sapphire name, builds upon our technical prowess to take electric high-performance on to next level. Sapphire represents the pinnacle of electric performance; finally achieving the performance that I've so long searched for. After painstaking development work, I am able to confirm Lucid Air Sapphire has achieved a satisfactory performance, and I trust the most discerning drivers will agree."

"Sapphire is the embodiment of what ultra-high-performance luxury means to Lucid," said Derek Jenkins, SVP of Brand and Design, Lucid Group. "Sapphire is among the most valued gemstones, prized for their brilliance, color, and hardness. Imperial Blue has long been the de facto national color for American motorsports teams engaged in international competitions. As Lucid's dedicated ultra-high-performance brand, Sapphire references this history while setting new standards for innovation and technology."

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.

"With three state-of-the-art electric motors - all developed and manufactured in-house by Lucid - Lucid Air Sapphire reaches an entirely new level of performance," said Eric Bach, SVP of Product and Chief Engineer, Lucid Group. "And because a three-motor Lucid Air was always part of the development program, it retains all the strengths of Lucid Air variants already on the market - including limo-like rear legroom, a voluminous trunk and frunk, and impressive efficiency."

These technically 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.

As expected, Lucid Air Sapphire's three-motor powertrain delivers even more horsepower than the car's dual-motor siblings, including the 1,050-hp Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance. 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. 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 prodigious performance.

Final horsepower ratings will be announced later, along with instrumented demonstrations of the incredible performance capabilities of the vehicle.

Performance in Perfect Harmony: Track-Capable Handling and Braking as Standard

As with other Lucid Air variants, Lucid's engineers followed a holistic approach to development of the first Sapphire model. In practice, this meant devoting exacting attention to every facet of performance.

"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."

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.

In addition to delivering prodigious power to the rear of the vehicle, the twin rear-drive unit allows for torque vectoring that extends the capabilities of the car beyond that achievable with a passive all-wheel-drive system.

For example, 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

Lucid Air Sapphire is designed to be as functional as it is beautiful.

Special attention has been given to refining the aerodynamic character of the body for Lucid Air Sapphire. The outcome of this effort is a balance between added downforce, which enhances vehicle stability at higher speeds, and reducing drag, which affects both performance and efficiency.

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 extends the purposeful beauty of the exterior with 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 logomark, one of the icons of the Lucid brand identity reflecting the California origins of the brand. 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.

The Future is Faster

Lucid Air Sapphire makes 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.

On October 7, we told our readers about an electric vehicle with several manufacturing problems. Those who did not read our story and believe we are talking about a Tesla are wrong, at least in this case. The Lucid Air is having as many issues as Teslas have. Kyle Conner took one to a detailing shop and learned it was really thin. Now we know the only solution left to correct that paint job was paint protection film – or PPF.
8 photos

The detailer recovered the story shared by Conner and presented some scratches the paint job had with a very bright lantern. In any car, all it would take to make it look better would be a nice polish. In the Lucid Air, doing that could remove the paint and expose the body. That’s why the detailer came to the conclusion that the only possible correction for those scratches was to hide them with PPF.

To check if that would really be the case, the professional applied pieces of Xpel Ultimate Plus to some of the worst areas in the electric sedan’s paint job. The detailer divided the areas in half: one without the PPF and one with it, to allow easier comparison. The film makes an incredible difference. More than that, it was the only option the detailer had to improve the paint job in any way.

As we wrote in our previous article about Air’s issues, if the paint job in a car is so thin that people will avoid polishing it, what will happen when this vehicle starts traveling and facing small stones thrown by other vehicles? If Lucid does not improve its paint process, we may soon see Air units with chipped paint around.

Some people argue that the less paint any body panel presents, the better because it gets lighter and you have fewer pollution risks with the painting process. The lousy excuse does not stand: having to repaint a car because what the factory did was not enough will double the paint needs: the one used in the factory plus all the paint that will be required to adequately protect the car’s body.