California-based EV maker Lucid Motors debuted a new performance sub-brand at Monterey Car Week today with the announcement of the Lucid Air Sapphire, an elevated version of its Air sedan.
The “world’s first fully electric luxury super-sports sedan,” as Lucid calls it, has one motor more driving the rear than the Lucid Air’s Dual ActiveCore, which positions one in the front and one in the rear. That third motor means Sapphire boasts over 1,200 horsepower on tap, up from 1,111 hp in the Air Dream Edition Performance, making the Air Sapphire the new most powerful sedan on the planet, electric or otherwise.
And, heads up, Elon, like the Dream Edition, the thing is quick. Quicker than a Model S Plaid. The brand claims that, with the car’s additional 500-kW motor, the Air Sapphire will leap to 60 mph (96 km/h) in under two seconds, on to 100 mph (161 km/h) in under four, and best a quarter-mile time of 9.0 seconds. Top speed is apparently over 200 mph (321 km/h).
2023 Lucid Motors Air Sapphire Photo by Lucid Motors
2023 Lucid Motors Air Sapphire Photo by Lucid Motors /Lucid Motors
2023 Lucid Motors Air Sapphire Photo by Lucid Motors
2023 Lucid Motors Air Sapphire Photo by Lucid Motors
2023 Lucid Motors Air Sapphire Photo by Lucid Motors
2023 Lucid Motors Air Sapphire Photo by Lucid Motors
2023 Lucid Motors Air Sapphire Photo by Lucid Motors
2023 Lucid Motors Air Sapphire Photo by Lucid Motors
2023 Lucid Motors Air Sapphire Photo by Lucid Motors
Large carbon-ceramic disc brakes to slow it down after such efforts are now standard, and Lucid has also widened the track and wheels front and rear, and reworked the suspension to handle the extra Gs, adding new springs and anti-roll bars, and tuning dampers. Michelin provided the Pilot Sport 4S tires, specially developed for the Sapphire, that include a special aero cover for better efficiency and performance off-track.
The Sapphire’s interior features new deeper sport seats, Alcantara accents, Sapphire Blue stitching, ambient lighting, and a Sapphire-themed on-screen display with special drive modes and performance settings. Speaking of which, the added Sapphire drive mode opens up the car’s full performance potential, and offers sub-modes for drag, road, or track with lap timing and other data-gathering functions.
Priced at US$249,000, the Lucid Air Sapphire is the first jewel in its crown brand of the same name. But the very presence of a ‘brand’ and not just a limited edition suggests more Sapphire vehicles are on the way. Lucid Motors says it will begin building models in the first half of 2023.
Keyword: The 1,200-plus-hp Lucid Air Sapphire may be the world's most powerful sedan