Lucid Unveils High Performance EV

Lucid Motors unveiled the new Lucid Air Sapphire Edition, a top-of-the-line sedan.

The company says the car is able to reach to 100 km/h in under two seconds. If the announced characteristics prove to be true, the new sapphire will become the most powerful production sedan on the market, beating out the previous record holder, the Tesla Model S Plaid.

The new Sapphire Edition was revealed Friday during Monterey Car Week. The new model got three motors, two at the rear and one at the front, that Lucid says brings the estimated horsepower up to 1,200.

The twin rear-drive unit gets two 500kW inverters that are based on those in the Dream Performance Edition, as well as custom planetary gear reduction units. That rear setup allows for torque to be applied to each wheel in opposite directions so that the Sapphire Edition will get more stability and control. The system can also apply regenerative braking to individual rear wheels to make the large sedan corner more precisely.

As for the exterior design, the new model got some visual changes, most importantly, the exclusive-to-Sapphire blue exterior and a new stealth trim look that smokes out the brightwork, including the side-view mirrors and the added duckbill spoiler at the rear.

At the same time, however, even with the additional motor, the interior space and packaging all fit within the same footprint as the standard Lucid Air. Interior space and luggage space won’t diminish with the Sapphire Edition, and the vehicles will be built on the same line as the rest of the Airs being assembled at the company’s factory in Arizona.