Introducing the Sapphire brand from Lucid,
with the Lucid Air Sapphire, the world's first luxury
electric super-sports sedan
- Lucid Air Sapphire features three motors, carbon-ceramic
brakes, aerodynamic package, new sport seats, and track-tuned
suspension for a sublime driver-focused sporting
experience
- Sub-two seconds 0-60 mph, sub-four seconds 0-100 mph,
sub-nine seconds quarter mile, and top speed exceeding 200
mph
- Production begins in first half of 2023
NEWARK,
Calif., Aug. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lucid Group,
Inc. (NASDAQ: LCID), setting new standards with the longest-range,
fastest-charging electric car on the market with the award-winning
Lucid Air, today introduced Sapphire, Lucid's new
ultra-high-performance brand, led by the new Lucid Air Sapphire –
the world's first fully electric luxury super-sports sedan.
"Last year, Lucid rocked the world with the launch of Lucid Air,
a fusion of unsurpassed range, efficiency, superior driving
dynamics, and interior space, uniquely enabled by our in-house
technology." said Peter Rawlinson,
CEO and CTO, Lucid Group. "Today, with the introduction of the
Sapphire line, we take the next logical step of advancement. Lucid
Air Sapphire, being the very first Lucid product to bear the
Sapphire name, builds upon our technical prowess to take electric
high-performance on to next level. Sapphire represents the pinnacle
of electric performance; finally achieving the performance that
I've so long searched for. 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."
"Sapphire is the embodiment of what ultra-high-performance
luxury means to Lucid," said Derek
Jenkins, SVP of Brand and Design, Lucid Group. "Sapphire is
among the most valued gemstones, prized for their brilliance,
color, and hardness. Imperial Blue has long been the de facto
national color for American motorsports teams engaged in
international competitions. As Lucid's dedicated
ultra-high-performance brand, Sapphire references this history
while setting new standards for innovation and technology."
Lucid Air Sapphire: The World's
First Luxury Electric Super Sedan
At the heart of Lucid Air Sapphire lies 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," said Eric Bach, SVP of Product and Chief Engineer,
Lucid Group. "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.
As expected, 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
over 1,200 hp, Lucid Air Sapphire is not only the most powerful
electric sedan in the world, it is the most powerful sedan in the
world.
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 incredible performance
capabilities of the vehicle.
Performance in Perfect Harmony:
Track-Capable Handling and Braking as Standard
As with other Lucid Air variants, Lucid's engineers followed a
holistic approach to development of the first Sapphire model. In
practice, this meant devoting exacting attention to every facet of
performance.
"Our aim with this, our first Sapphire model, is to complement
the exceptional powertrain with sharper, more responsive driving
dynamics and increased body control," said David Lickfold, Director of Chassis and Vehicle
Dynamics, Lucid Group. "At the same time, it was important to
retain the exceptional ride quality for which Lucid Air has come to
be known."
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.
Standard carbon ceramic brakes provide exceptional stopping power
and contribute to Lucid Air Sapphire's endurance in
high-performance driving. This 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 prodigious 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.
A New Shade of Speed: Sapphire
Design, Inside and Out
Lucid Air Sapphire is designed to be as functional as it is
beautiful.
Special attention has been 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.
The launch of the Sapphire brand from Lucid also marks the
introduction of a new Sapphire Blue exterior paint, a radiant color
that will be exclusive to Sapphire vehicles. Initially, all Lucid
Air Sapphires will be finished exclusively in the new Sapphire Blue
color to mark the brand introduction.
Lucid Air Sapphire is augmented with the recently announced
Stealth Look as standard, bringing a more sinister, sporting
character to the exterior of the vehicle.
The cabin of Lucid Air Sapphire extends the purposeful beauty of
the exterior with a new interior theme called Sapphire Mojave. This
includes new highly bolstered 18-way power sport seats, upholstered
in black leather trimmed with black Alcantara and Sapphire Blue
contrast stitching. Though designed for spirited driving, the seats
still provide decadent comfort, with heating, cooling and massage
functionality. The headrest showcases a debossed Lucid bear
logomark, one of the icons of the Lucid brand identity reflecting
the California origins of the
brand. Dash and doors are decorated with Mojave darkwood veneers, while the steering
wheel and upper roof structure for the standard Glass Canopy roof
are trimmed in black Alcantara.
Lucid Air Sapphire also features a unique Sapphire-themed
on-screen display, with specially configured drive modes and
performance settings.
The Future is Faster
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 CAD1. Reservations go live
Tuesday, August 23, 2022 at
9 AM Pacific time.
Information about availability for markets outside of
North America will be communicated
in the future.
What's more, Lucid Air Sapphire is just the beginning,
representing the launch of an entirely new performance-focused
brand within Lucid. 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.
About Lucid Group
Lucid's mission is to inspire the adoption of sustainable energy
by creating advanced technologies and the most captivating luxury
electric vehicles centered around the human experience. The
company's first car, Lucid Air, is a state-of-the-art luxury sedan
with a California-inspired design
that features luxurious full-size interior space in a mid-size
exterior footprint. Underpinned by race-proven battery technology
and proprietary powertrains developed entirely in-house, Lucid Air
was named the 2022 MotorTrend Car of the Year®. Lucid Air Grand
Touring features an official EPA estimated 516 miles of range or
1,050 horsepower. Deliveries of Lucid Air, which is produced at
Lucid's factory in Casa Grande,
Arizona, are currently underway to U.S. customers.
Media Contacts
media@lucidmotors.com
Trademarks
This communication contains trademarks, service marks, trade
names and copyrights of Lucid Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries and
other companies, which are the property of their respective
owners.
Forward-Looking
Statements
This communication includes "forward-looking statements" within
the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking
statements may be identified by the use of words such as
"estimate," "plan," "project," "forecast," "intend," "will,"
"shall," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "seek," "target,"
"continue," "could," "may," "might," "possible," "potential,"
"predict" or other similar expressions that predict or indicate
future events or trends or that are not statements of historical
matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not
limited to, statements regarding plans and expectations with
respect to Lucid Air Sapphire, including its performance,
specifications, design, branding, price, availability, timing of
production, reservation and delivery, driving experience, and
reception by customers, and the promise of Lucid's technology.
These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not
identified in this communication, and on the current expectations
of Lucid's management. These forward-looking statements are not
intended to serve as, and must not be relied on by any investor as,
a guarantee, an assurance, or a definitive statement of fact or
probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or
impossible to predict and may differ from these forward-looking
statements. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the
control of Lucid. These forward-looking statements are subject to a
number of risks and uncertainties, including those factors
discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in Part II, Item 1A of
Lucid's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
June 30, 2022, as well as other
documents Lucid has filed or will file with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. If any of these risks materialize or Lucid's
assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially
from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There
may be additional risks that Lucid currently does not know or that
Lucid currently believes are immaterial that could also cause
actual results to differ from those contained in the
forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements
reflect Lucid's expectations, plans or forecasts of future events
and views as of the date of this communication. Lucid anticipates
that subsequent events and developments will cause Lucid's
assessments to change. However, while Lucid may elect to update
these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Lucid
specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These
forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as
representing Lucid's assessments as of any date subsequent to the
date of this communication. Accordingly, undue reliance should not
be placed upon the forward-looking statements.
1 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 & fees.
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SOURCE Lucid Group