JAKARTA - The maker of luxury electric vehicles, Lucid Motors, has now launched the new Lucid Air Sapphire Edition. This is a top-of-the-line sedan, which the company says will be capable of going from zero to 60mph in under two seconds, and even zero to 100mph in under four seconds.
That's particularly impressive in an electric-powered full-size luxury sedan and has the potential to make the new sapphire blue car the most powerful production sedan on the market. It even beat the previous speed record holder in electric cars, the Tesla Model S Plaid.
The new Sapphire Edition, which was revealed Friday, August 19 during Monterey Car Week, pairs a number of features from Lucid lower trim models such as the Dream Edition and Grand Touring Performance Edition.
First, the new version of the Lucid Air gets three motors, two at the rear and one at the front, which Lucid says brings the estimated horsepower to 1,200.
At the time of release, the Lucid didn't offer any torque figures, but as Eric Bach said during an initial briefing for journalists, "Lucid is redefining what a family sedan can do," with the release of a new model.
Introducing Sapphire. The pinnacle of electric performance by Lucid. #BlueMeansGo #DreamAhead #LucidAir pic.twitter.com/FNPgORLkLa
— Lucid Motors (@LucidMotors) August 19, 2022
The twin rear drive units get two 500kW inverters based on the ones in the Dream Performance Edition, plus a special planetary gear reduction unit. That rear arrangement allows torque to be applied to each wheel in the opposite direction so the Sapphire Edition will get more stability and control.
The system can also apply regenerative braking to the individual rear wheels to make the angle of the large sedan more precise.
Lucid says that the twin rear drive units also get new heat exchanger technology and increased coolant flow rates. While the company said it had upgraded the battery system for higher power and better thermoregulation, it didn't release any specific details at the time of release.
When using a lot of power, the driver must use the brakes, suspension settings, and tires as well. To that end, Lucid upgraded to carbon ceramic brakes, changed the spring level, gave the Sapphire higher damping, added a sway bar, and improved the power steering and ABS system.
The Sapphire Edition will also get special composite alloy wheels and a special set of tires (20 inches front, 21 inches rear) made of compound that offers a combination of low rolling resistance and high grip, similar to the Cup 2 tires.
Lucid will also offer a set of wheel guards that can be attached via center locks to the wheels to help make them more aerodynamic and efficient for longer, more relaxed rides.
Lucid said the new Sapphire Edition will start at $249,000 or $69,000 more than the $180,000 Grand Touring Performance. The company is also facing delivery delays and late production, partly due to supply shortages caused by the pandemic and logistics problems. The company will also have to raise the price of its vehicles this year as global inflation threatens.
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