Electric Automaker Lucid Group Unveils the Lower Priced Air Pure and Air Touring Models

author: FutureCar Staff    

The Lucid Air Pure starts at $87,400.

Luxury electric automaker Lucid Group unveiled two lower priced versions of its Lucid Air sedan, the Air Pure and Air Touring. The flagship Lucid Air Dream Edition, Air Grand Touring and Grand Touring Performance models were the only versions available up until now.

The Lucid Air Touring edition features a 620-horsepower dual-motor all wheel-drive electric powertrain with a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 3.4 seconds. It has an EPA estimated range of 425 miles, which edges out the 405-mile range of the dual-motor all-wheel-drive Tesla Model S.

The Lucid Air Pure launches with the dual-motor, all-wheel drive version. It delivers 480 horsepower. Following the all-wheel-drive version, the single-motor, rear-wheel-drive variant will launch in 2023. The RWD single motor version of the Air Pure will have 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds, and an EPA-estimated 410 miles of range. 

The Air Pure will also have a smaller and lighter battery pack featuring 18 modules compared to the 22 modules in Lucid's Extended Range Pack. Removing four of the battery modules frees up more cabin space, so the rear seats offer more space and comfort. 

The battery in the Air Pure will be optimized for Lucid's in-house designed Wunderbox charging technology that will support high-speed charging that can add 200 miles of additional range after just 15 minutes of charging.

"Performance. Range. Luxury. Technology. Design. It's all here in the newly expanded Lucid Air model lineup as Air Pure and Air Touring said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO, Lucid Group. "Air Touring matches the landmark 4.6 miles per kWh efficiency of the Grand Touring – albeit at a more affordable price point – an important incremental step to making ultra-efficient EVs more attainable.

Production of the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive Air Pure begins next month at Lucid's state-of-the -art EV factory in Arizona, with the first customer deliveries expected before the end of the year.

The Air Pure is the first Air model that will come with an all-metal roof made entirely of lightweight aluminum. The roof replaces the panoramic Glass Canopy roof offered in the other Lucid Air models, but also helps Lucid reduce costs.

The Air Touring however will be available with a standard solid aluminum roof, as well as the optional Glass Canopy. 

Lucid is offered a new paint color for the Air Pure called "Fathom Blue", which the company says was inspired by the Pacific Ocean. 

The interior of the Air Pure features the Mojave PurLuxe interior, which is crafted from a combination of faux leather and fabric called Dune, which is made from 100% recycled woven textile. Lucid says that the Dune interior fabric was Inspired by mid century modern furniture. 

The Air Pure comes standard with Lucid's DreamDrive advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). However it can be upgraded to DreamDrive Pro, which includes a suite of 32 sensors to support autonomous driving, including cameras, short- and long-range radars, ultrasonic sensors and high-resolution LiDAR. DreamDrive Pro also offers Surround View Monitoring, Blind Spot Display, and Highway Assist. 

The Lucid Air Pure starts at $87,400 while the Air Touring model starts at $107,400. The 1,050hp Air Grand Touring starts at $154,000. The first model offered by Lucid, the Air Dream Edition, was priced at $169,000. This version is already sold out.

Lucid also announced that the ultra-high performance Lucid Air Sapphire luxury electric sport sedan is undergoing final tuning on racetracks and public roads, with production to begin in the first half of 2023. The Sapphire made its global debut at Monterey Car week in August.

Lucid says the Air Sapphire is the world's first luxury electric super-sports sedan. Initial performance estimates for Lucid Air Sapphire are a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 1.89

Seconds. The Sapphire can reach 100 mph in just 3.87 seconds. Top speed is 205 miles per hour. The flagship electric sedan will feature an innovative torque vectoring system for the dual-motor rear-drive unit that offers enhanced traction and turning capability.

The Air Sapphire will start at $249,000.

The development of Air Pure and Air Touring included design tweaks to improve the aerodynamic efficiency of all of the Air models. Lucid says the coefficient of drag for all Lucid Air models has dropped to 0.197, making it the most aerodynamically efficient production car on the market, according to Lucid.

Lucid's CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson is an auto industry veteran. He previously served as the chief engineer at British automaker Lotus. Tesla's first electric vehicle, the Roadster, was based on the Lotus Elise chassis. It was built from 2008 through 2012 before the launch of the flagship Tesla Model S in 2012.

Rawlingson also worked at Tesla under Elon Musk, serving as Chief Engineer of the Tesla Model S before joining Lucid in 2013. He is largely responsible for many of the technical achievements of the Lucid Air sedan, including its high-performance electric powertrain.

The Lucid Air was recently named the 2022 MotorTrend Car of the Year. 

FutureCar Staff