Lucid is growing its Air line-up with the Grand Touring Performance model set to hit the road — quickly. The new entry puts out an astonishing 1,050 horsepower and races from 0 to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds, officials claim.
The announcement comes as the company’s begun delivering Grand Touring models to customers. The Grand Touring model is no slouch, putting out 819 hp — more than the 800 hp initially forecast — and doing the sprint from stop to 60 mph in 3 seconds.
While plenty of EV makers are making claims about range and 0-to-60 times, Lucid’s laying claim to “most efficient,” noting the Grand Touring model has an EPA-estimated range of miles — or 4.6 miles of driving range per kilowatt hour. However, other claim the Tesla Model 3 RWD is slightly more efficient.
“Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance answers the strong demand we continue to see for higher-performance versions of the Lucid Air,” said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO, Lucid Group, in a statement.
“The remarkable speed with which we are able to conceive and bring this model to market is possible only because of Lucid’s high degree of vertical integration and in-house production of our proprietary EV powertrain and battery pack technology.”
Big power, big performance, big money
The Performance edition puts out more than 1,000 hp courtesy of two electric motors, one on each axle. It also travels 446 miles on a full charge, according to the EPA. Lucid officials say deliveries on the new model will begin in the U.S. in June and Canada in August. Buyers will need to pay $179,000 in the U.S.
The company’s already rolled out its Air Dream edition models this year, which were limited to just 520 models. The reception’s been strong, which many turning up on auction sites for prices well above their sticker.
The Air Grand Touring models are supposed to be the cornerstone of the company’s vision.
“Lucid Air Grand Touring epitomizes the promise of the Lucid brand – a triumvirate of industry-leading range and efficiency, stellar driving dynamics, and luxurious interior space,” Rawlinson said.
“This unparalleled fusion of attributes is the product of Lucid’s groundbreaking in-house technology, exemplified by our miniaturized drive units with unrivaled power density and race-proven 900V+ battery and power architecture.”
The second wave
What do you get for $180K? Well, an answer to range anxiety to start. In addition to being able to travel more than 500 miles in the Grand Touring and 446 miles on Grand Touring Performance, officials say you can add as much as 300 miles of range in just 21 minutes using 350 kW DC fast chargers. So if you do finally run it down, get a coffee and it’ll be substantively charged before you finish the java.
The Air Grand Touring and Grand Touring Performance are offered in a palette of carefully curated exterior colors: Stellar White, Infinite Black, Cosmos Silver, Quantum Grey and Zenith Red. Meanwhile the interiors were designed with California-based themes, such as Santa Cruz, which takes cues from the solar noon sunshine in Santa Cruz, contrasting light and dark. It features Nappa Full-Grain Leather in Lucid Black and Ceramic with North American Walnut trim and Alcantara inserts.
The other three options are Tahoe, Mojave and Mojave PurLuxe, which will be available later in the production run.
Both Grand Touring versions come standard with 21-inch wheels and Pirelli tires specially developed for Lucid. The Grand Touring Performance features a new wheel design for Lucid, a 21-inch Aero Sport wheel. The Air Grand Touring is also available with 19-inch Aero range wheels with all-season tires.