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Dec 09, 2023

Lucid introduces Lucid Air Sapphire; 3 motors, sub

Lucid Group introduced Sapphire, Lucid’s new ultra-high-performance brand, led

Lucid Group introduced Sapphire, Lucid's new ultra-high-performance brand, led by the new Lucid Air Sapphire. Lucid Air Sapphire uses a three-motor powertrain—the first from Lucid—featuring a new twin motor rear-drive unit and a single motor front-drive unit.

With three state-of-the-art electric motors—all developed and manufactured in-house by Lucid—Lucid Air Sapphire reaches an entirely new level of performance. And because a three-motor Lucid Air was always part of the development program, it retains all the strengths of Lucid Air variants already on the market—including limo-like rear legroom, a voluminous trunk and frunk, and impressive efficiency.

These technically innovative electric motors incorporate Lucid's microjet stator cooling and wave winding. The twin rear-drive unit also introduces new heat exchanger technology and heightened coolant flow rate. The battery system is also upgraded for higher power and more precise thermal logic.

With more than 1,200 hp, Lucid Air Sapphire's three-motor powertrain delivers even more horsepower than the car's dual-motor siblings, including the 1,050-hp Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.

With this vast power and the enhanced delivery afforded by the twin rear-drive unit, Lucid Air Sapphire will accelerate from a standstill to 60 mph in less than two seconds, from zero to 100 mph in less than four seconds, and the standing quarter mile in under 9 seconds. These figures are achievable with no extra-cost equipment upgrades or protracted preconditioning routines.

Additionally, massive carbon ceramic disc brakes come as standard, endowing Air Sapphire with a stopping power to match its prodigious performance.

Final horsepower ratings will be announced later, along with instrumented demonstrations of the performance capabilities of the vehicle.

Lucid Air Sapphire features stiffer front and rear springs, unique damper settings, stiffer bushings, and a unique tuning for ABS, traction, stability control, and electronic power steering. The advanced chassis setup is conceived to maximize the benefits of the torque-vectoring capabilities of the three-motor powertrain, as well as the wider, more aggressive wheels and tires.

The car rides on ultra-high performance staggered Aero Sapphire wheels, with specially developed Michelin PS4S tires, sized 265/35R20 at front and 295/30R21 in the rear. These unique wheels also feature removable carbon-fiber aero disk wheel covers, which further optimize the aerodynamic efficiency of the car.

In addition to delivering power to the rear of the vehicle, the twin rear-drive unit allows for torque vectoring that extends the capabilities of the car beyond that achievable with a passive all-wheel-drive system.

For example, the twin rear-drive unit can effectively pivot the rear of the vehicle, providing torque to the rear wheels in opposite directions to promote either turn-in or straight-line stability—similar to a brake-based setup and a rear-wheel steering system, but faster, quieter, and more seamless. In tight corners, the system is able to apply regenerative braking on the inside wheel while powering the outside, greatly enhancing vehicle turn-in rotation and with much quicker response times than rear-wheel steering systems.

The benefits for drivers are wide-reaching, with improvements to turn-in, cornering balance across all speeds, corner exit, and high-speed stability and disturbance rejection. The driving experience differs across drive modes to give multiple characters in conjunction with steering, suspension, powertrain, and brake settings.

Special attention was given to refining the aerodynamic character of the body for Lucid Air Sapphire. The outcome of this effort is a balance between added downforce, which enhances vehicle stability at higher speeds, and reducing drag, which affects both performance and efficiency.

Lucid Air Sapphire makes its public debut at the Quail Lodge during Monterey Car Week. Lucid Air Sapphire will be offered as a limited-production model, with deliveries planned in the US and Canada next year. The price is $249,000 USD and $325,000 CAD.

US price excludes tax, title, license, options, and destination fees. Canadian excludes $2,200 CAD Destination Fee, $200 CAD Documentation Fee and $100 CAD Federal Air Conditioning Tax; excludes sales tax and provincial levies and fees.

Information about availability for markets outside of North America will be communicated in the future.

Additional Sapphire models will be available for all Lucid models moving forward, continuing to set new standards for what luxury performance can look and feel.

Posted on 20 August 2022 in Electric (Battery) | Permalink | Comments (3)