2023 Lucid Air Sapphire – Checkmate, Plaid
By Edward A. Sanchez — Aug. 19, 2022
Ever the showman, Elon Musk reveled in the Model S Plaid’s status as the world’s fastest sedan. For a period, the 1,000-hp, tri-motor large liftback was effectively unchallenged in that status. The closest equivalent at the time was the Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance with 1,050 hp. That output narrowly edged out the Plaid on output on-paper, but the Plaid still had a marginal advantage on the street with a slightly quicker 0-60 mph and quarter-mile time. With the introduction of the 2023 Lucid Air Sapphire, the quietly confident EV startup led by Tesla alum Peter Rawlinson now holds the title of fastest production sedan with a 1,200-hp tri-motor powertrain.
Ever the understated gentleman, Rawlinson framed the Sapphire thusly: “After painstaking development work, I am able to confirm Lucid Air Sapphire has achieved a satisfactory performance, and I trust the most discerning drivers will agree.”
Satisfactory – that’s one way to put it.
In what is undoubtedly an understatement, Lucid’s CEO described the Air Sapphire’s 1,200 hp performance as “satisfactory.”
So what exactly is “satisfactory?” How about a 0-60 mph time under two seconds, a 0-100 mph time under four seconds, a quarter-mile time under nine seconds, and a top speed of over 200 mph.
Unlike the Model S Plaid, which you must pay a whopping $20,000 premium for the carbon ceramic brakes, which by all accounts should be considered mandatory with the Plaid’s power level, the Sapphire includes them at no extra charge. But while we’re on the subject, Lucid is not being shy about asking for a premium for its performance flagship, with prices starting at $249,000 U.S. and $325,000 Canadian, not including the mandatory $2,200 destination charge.
Part of Lucid’s secret sauce has always been its motor design, with the Sapphire seemingly upping that game.
So what else do you get for that prodigious sum? Removable carbon-fiber wheel covers, Sapphire-specific springs and dampers, specially-developed Michelin PS4S staggered tires (265/35R20 front, 295/30R21 in the rear), and special tuning of the twin rear motors, allowing them to operate independently, even turning in reverse of one another in specific scenarios. Although the term “drift” was not used once in the press release, the potential capabilities of this powertrain setup are clear.
On the inside, the Sapphire is set apart from lesser Airs by unique front sport seats with 18-way adjustability, heating, cooling, and massage functions, trimmed in black leather and Alcantara with contrasting blue stitching. The headrest features Lucid’s trademark bear logo, emphasizing the brand’s California design origins (even though it’s actually built in Arizona).
The interior of the Lucid Air Sapphire is “traditional” Lucid.
If you’re one of the few for which an expenditure of a quarter-million dollars is no big deal, you can place your order for an Air Sapphire starting on Aug. 23, 2022, at 9 a.m. PDT. Oh, and when you take delivery, please let us know. We’d like to borrow it. For purely objective journalistic purposes, of course.
(Images courtesy Lucid)
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