Remember the Lucid Air? You do? Great news, the pure electric sedan has moved from prototype to production-ready and is scheduled to go on sale in 2021. But you might require early-adopter deep, deep pockets to afford one. The Lucid Air will retail in the USA from $72,500. Four editions will be offered, the entry-level Air followed by Air Touring, Air Grand Touring, and Air Dream Edition. But this is where it gets a bit strange. Retail sales will commence in reverse order starting with the flagship Air Dream Edition and Air Grand Touring. They will retail for $169,000 and $139,000 respectively.
The Air Touring, costing $95,000 will launch in Q4 2021. However, the entry-level Air will launch in 2022. All rather confusing, but what isn’t is the price tag. Clearly, the market for the Lucid Air is aimed at luxury car buyers, who have very deep, deep pockets. The Lucid Air is powered by a 113 kWh battery and the two electric motors provide up to 1080hp. The top-spec Air Dream Edition can do the 0-62mph dash in a claimed 2.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 168mph.
All variants will be offered in various states of tune, for example, the entry-level Air will be effectively de-tuned to offer 800hp. Still a lot of power, more than you will ever require. The entry-level Air has a claimed range of 517 miles on a single charge, the Air Dream Edition offers 465 miles. Rapid charging allows for 300 miles of range to be added in just 30 minutes.
As you would expect for a pure electric vehicle with a starting price of $72,500 the interior is luxury car luxurious and features a 5k 34-inch display that integrates the driver’s instrument binnacle and infotainment system. The Lucid Air will be offered with an endless list of the latest generation passive and active safety systems. And Level 2 and Level 3 autonomous driver assistance technologies will be offered as optional extras.
Will Lucid suffer from poor build quality that often afflicts new start-up car companies? Almost certainly. Lucid is aiming at an annual production of around 20,000 units, which is a realistic target to achieve.
