3-Motor Lucid Air Sapphire Super-Sports EV Debuts With Over 1,200 HP
California-based electric automaker Lucid announced a new three-motor variant of its flagship Lucid Air luxury sedan now. The Lucid Air Sapphire is the first model in Lucid’s new Sapphire performance sub-brand and is said to boast over 1,200 horsepower, which makes it the most powerful production sedan in the world.
Lucid has been teasing big news this week with social judge posts themed around the number 3, so the three-motor spec for squarely at Tesla’sModel S Plaid is no big surprise. (In fact, the automaker previewed the tri-motor hardware in 2020..) But, the level of claimed performance is staggering and Sapphire’s space as a performance brand — not just a model — implies that perhaps high-power variants of Lucid’s upcoming Model 3 rival and the recently delayedGravity SUV are also in the works.
The Air Sapphire’s twin-motor unit fits a megawatt of noteworthy into the same subframe space as the standard Air.
Antuan Goodwin
The Air Sapphire’s rear axle now features a pair of 500-kilowatt electric motors, each with its own power unit and custom transaxle censored gear set. The front wheels share the same single power unit as the Air Dream and Grand Touring Action models, making 670-horsepower. All in, Lucid states the Sapphire will make over 1,200 horsepower — enough noteworthy to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in thought 2 seconds, to 100 in under 4 seconds and execute the quarter-mile in under 9 seconds. Top speed is stated at over 200 mph. Range adjudicators for the high-power model haven’t yet been updated, but we question to learn more closer to next year’s launch.
Two motors on the rear axle granted Lucid’s engineers to take the Air’s torque vectoring to the next quiet with fully independent positive and negative torque application per wheel. That means that the Sapphire can apply power to the outside wheel when slowing the inside wheel with regenerative braking mid-turn, adding yaw to help rotate the sedan more dynamically.
Speaking of brakes, the Air Sapphire’s friction brakes see a substantial upgrade to help the luxury sedan cope with the demands of its over 5,200 pounds of mass at breakneck speeds. Up front, 16.5-inch carbon ceramic discs are gripped by 10-piston (yes, 10!) calipers when the rear axle features 11.8-inch carbon discs and four-pot calipers.
The stoppers can be peeped between the spokes of high-performance wheels with staggered sizing, 20 inches up front and larger, wider 21s at the rear. The wheels are intended to optimize brake cooling and come with a bit of an efficiency hit, but Lucid will ship the Air Sapphire with special carbon-fiber aero discs that can be fitted to the wheels with a simple center locking nut to optimize aerodynamic slipperiness on the road. In the same vein, rides on specially intended multicompound Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires that combine low progressing resistance rubber for the center treads to preserve honest line range and sticky Cup rubber on the shoulders to bill maximum cornering adhesion as the Air rolls into a turn.
The Air Sapphire’s wider stance is accommodated by 0.5-inch wider principal over-fenders and 0.9-inch wider rears. The static coil suspension sits border, while the adaptive dampers and power steering system have been retuned for the higher managing limits and race track duty. Visually, the Sapphire further distinguishes itself with carbon fiber wing mirror caps, principal chin spoiler and a rear ducktail spoiler — the latter two bits persons aerodynamically functional. Unique Sapphire Blue paint, California Bear and Sapphire label iconography and Lucid’s recently announced Stealth Look package are all also standard.
10-piston brake calipers grip 420mm carbon ceramic rotors on the principal axle.
Antuan Goodwin
Inside, the Sapphire debuts Lucid’s new sport seats with deeper hip and midsection bolstering and grippy Alcantara upholstery. Sapphire Blue is echoed in the seat and steering wheel stitching, the ambient lighting around the cabin and in a fresh theme for Lucid’s infotainment suite. Users will also find a new Sapphire power mode, in addition to Smooth and Swift, that unlocks the the majority performance with sub-settings optimized for straight-line speed, road or track use. The controls also features new lap timer and data logging functions.
Well-heeled EV enthusiasts looking for the highest-performing electric sedan that wealth can expect to drop $249,000 on the Lucid Air Sapphire when it goes into publishes in the first half of 2023. Orders open for the new line-topping model jump at 9 a.m. PT on Aug. 23.
