Order books are open, limited to US & Canada… for now.
In what can only be described as a surprise, Lucid Motor’s all-electric ‘Air’ luxury saloon has officially gone on sale in the United States and Canada, boasting a retail price of $52,500 (or about $68k in our money). Aimed directly at the seemingly-unbeatable Tesla Model S, the Lucid Air packs 300kW in standard single-engine rear-wheel drive form, which can be optioned up to 746kW and all-wheel drive.
In top-shelf form, it’ll do 0-100km/h in a scorching 2.5-seconds. This comes close to the Tesla Model S P100D’s best sprint time of 2.38-seconds, and the boastful Faraday Future FF91’s 2.39-seconds. All while looking arguably better than both of those cars, and bearing an interior that can actually be used (we’re looking at you, FF).
Range is another important factor with electric vehicles, and the Air doesn’t disappoint. Lucid’s first production car manages a shade under 300km of range on the base model, but a whisker under 400km can be achieved on higher models. The batteries powering the Lucid are courtesy of Samsung SDI, and are of the lithium-ion variety. They claim that the Air’s battery pack has class-leading energy density, power, lifespan, and safety. They also say that the batteries won’t deteriorate after repeated charge-discharge cycles.
Lucid Motors, a relatively quiet company, was very chatty about its optional executive seating option, which sees two reclining seats offering excellent comfort. In standard trim the Lucid Air is a four-seater, though a bench seat for the rear can be optioned by customers should they want it. The Air’s pursuit of luxury continues with its air suspension, which the company claims makes it “the most comfortable car in its class.”
The Air is being claimed as ‘autonomous ready,’ with Lucid Motors prepared to fit the Air with the necessary software updates to give it fully-autonomous capability when legislation permits it to be left to its own devices. This is in stark contrast to Tesla’s ‘real-world beta testing’ of its Autopilot technology, and Faraday Future’s ambitious-but-rubbish supposedly ‘autonomous’ features.
Production of the Air will only begin in late 2018, with deliveries scheduled for not long after that. The long waiting period for the Air could see its list of rivals grow much, much longer than it already is, meaning the Air will have quite a fight on its hands if it intends to own a significant slice of the EV pie. Booking a Lucid Air will set you back as little as $3200, though a more significant $32,000 deposit will secure you one of only 255 launch editions, which Lucid says will bear exclusive, distinguishing features.
At the time of writing, pre-orders are available only for the United States and Canada, though we are confident that this spaceship-like vehicle will breach other markets worldwide (like China, especially) very soon. You can read our previous reports on the Lucid Air here.
Check out our gallery below of the gorgeous new Lucid Air, though we advise readers to exercise caution: You will drool.
