Better than Tesla? Lucid Air electric sedan pricing and specs revealed

Saudi-backed Lucid Motors officially unveiled its Lucid Air electric sedan, which will be priced between $US80,000 and $US160,000 depending on options, to an online global audience on Wednesday.

The high profile EV startup, headed by ex-Tesla engineer Peter Rawlinson, has its eyes on grabbing the attention of the Tesla Model S audience, which Rawlinson had a key role in designing.

A series of pre-reveal releases has left little to the imagination in terms of specifications and capabilities – we already know that the Lucid Air has been promised with a longer range than the Model S, better aerodynamics than the Tesla Model 3, offer “Dream Drive” autonomous driving as well as vehicle-to-grid, two-way and super -fast charging capabilities.

What we can also now share with you is that the Lucid Air will be available in four options starting from $US80,000 (although you’ll have to wait until 2022 to get one) up to an eye-boggling $US169,000.

“Lucid Motors is driven to make the electric car better, and by doing so, help move the entire industry forward, towards accelerated adoption of sustainable mobility,” said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO of Lucid Motors, in a statement to the press.

“The goal of this relentless approach to developing the world’s most advanced electric vehicle is to benefit all mankind with sustainable, zero emission transportation, and to also attract new customers to the world of EVs.

“With the Lucid Air, we have created a halo car for the entire industry, one which shows the advancements that are possible by pushing the boundaries of EV technology and performance to new levels.”

The Lucid Air Dream edition and its lesser (but higher specc’d in terms of range) Lucid Air Grand Touring edition will be available first from the second quarter of 2021, followed by the Lucid Air Touring edition in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Of the four, it will be the Grand Touring edition with the record 832km driving range, but even the second-tier Touring edition will have an estimated 654km driving range, 7 kilometres more than the Model S’ official EPA rating.

The Dream edition will drive either 748km if you choose the 21 inch “Aerodream” wheels, or 809km using the 19 inch wheel option.

Driving range, horsepower, and performance are all still under wraps for the base Lucid Air, but we can share that price will determine power output (620hp, 800hp, and 1080hp respectively for the three top variants), as well as top speed (250km/hr for the Air Touring and 270km/hr for the Grand Air and Dream editions).

While Lucid is differentiating driving range and acceleration options based on price, all models will have the same super-fast charging speed that at its top rate can add 482 kilometres in just 20 minutes.

“When we embarked on this journey at Lucid Motors and the development of our first vehicle, the Lucid Air, we refused to compromise. We decided early on that we were going to pursue every facet of performance, innovation, and luxury,” said Derek Jenkins, VP of design for Lucid Motors in a statement.

“The result is that we are building the best car in the world and the numbers simply speak for themselves. What’s more, we did all this without ever sacrificing the beauty of the Lucid Air, which will stand as the first example of a car being created from a ‘clean sheet’ to leverage the total design freedom that an EV architecture provides.”

Full specifications and pricing as shared by Lucid are as follows:

While Lucid Motors is largely owned by the Saudi Arabia sovereign investment fund, it will be first and foremost an American car.

Available initially in North America, Lucid Motors says reservations are now open to US and Canada, and that the vehicle will go into production in Arizona “in coming months”.

According to Rawlinson, who spoke to Bloomberg in an interview before the unveiling, total production numbers for the Lucid Air range for 2021 will be from 7,000 to 8,000 units, but the company expects to ramp up production levels to 34,000 a year under current factory-floor layout with three around-the-clock work shifts.