Beverly Hills He is something like the top trump in the quartet of electric luxury sedans. Because since the American start-up Lucid started delivering the Air in October, the Tesla Model S and Mercedes EQS have at best been second choices, not to mention the Porsche Taycan and its twin Audi e-tron GT.
After all, the sleek gem with the flowing lines not only boasts a ludicrous 1,111 hp and more than 1,000 Nm of torque, at least for the first edition, but thanks to its 118 kWh batteries, the five-seater, which initially cost $169,000, also has by far the greatest range of the American authorities have been certified so far: the EPA determined 520 miles or 837 kilometers and thus gave the Air a lead of more than 100 miles over the Model S (405 miles) or the Mercedes EQS (350 miles).
The man behind the ambitious project is the former chief engineer of the Model S: Peter Rawlinson left Tesla in 2012, is now becoming Elon Musk’s biggest challenger and is attacking his former boss with his own weapons: Because even if the Air is like all its competitors uses a skateboard platform, Lucid builds its own components in the same way as Tesla, but in contrast to Mercedes & Co.
>>Read here: Rivian, Lucid, Fisker and Canoo – these brands want to challenge Tesla
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The Americans developed and produced the engine themselves, which at 74 kilos is one of the lightest in this league and still has up to 650 hp. And their own batteries, with an operating voltage of 900 volts and a maximum charging capacity of 350 kW, are also at the forefront and, in the best case, can be filled with electricity for almost 500 kilometers within 20 minutes, are apparently so good that they are even considered exclusive Electricity storage systems are used in Formula E.
Lucid has packed the whole thing in a design that more than lives up to the name Air. On the one hand, because the body with a drag coefficient of 0.21 has extremely low air resistance. And on the other hand, because the car looks extremely airy on the inside: although at 4.98 meters it is only about as long as an E-Class, it offers more space in the rear than an S-Class and is also superior to the electric competitors from Germany.
There is also more than 450 liters of storage space in the rear and more than 200 liters in the front and completely new perspectives for the driver. No, not just because Lucid has found his own balance of buttons and touchscreen, craftsmanship and Hollywood in the cockpit. But above all because the windscreen extends far into the roof, as it did with the Opel Astra GTC and thus additionally supports the airy impression.
The sleek gem with the flowing lines shows off 1,111 hp and more than 1,000 Nm of torque, at least for the first edition.
The car looks extremely airy inside.
But you can only enjoy that for the first few meters on the first exit with the Lucid Air, when you drive through the usual traffic jam out of Hollywood and down towards Malibu. Because hardly arrived at the bottom of the Pacific Coast Highway, the Lucid lures with its performance and strides so powerfully that it is better to keep your eyes on the road: Who from 0 to 100 in well under three seconds and then without even the slightest slacking up can accelerate to 270, he should watch out for the omnipresent cops – or switch from the highway to the byways.
After all, there’s more than enough of that in the Hollywood Hills. And there, too, the Lucid knows how to surprise. Because for a car of its size and without any frills like air suspension or rear-axle steering, the Stromer feels surprisingly handy and agile in the narrow canyons and storms the passes with commitment.
No, even if Peter Rawlins was also at Lotus, it is of course no comparison to the Elise, even if you switch through the three driving profiles to the very bottom. But the Air is definitely closer to a BMW M5 than the EQS, even in the AMG version, and even as a Taycan driver you should take a careful look in the rear-view mirror.
Although this experience is literally limited. Because Lucid only builds 520 copies of the Dream Edition, and not all of them have the performance drive train. After that, there are three versions: the $79,000 base with a 480-hp rear engine and 406-mile range, the $95,000 Touring with 620-hp all-wheel drive and a 406-mile range, and the permanent top-of-the-line Grand Touring pushing for pole for $139,000 with 800 horsepower and 516 miles.
In the cockpit, Lucid has found its own balance of buttons and touchscreen, craftsmanship and Hollywood.
For the top model 169,000 dollars are due in the USA.
At first glance, everything seems to be going according to plan for Rawlinson and his Lucid. The Dream Edition has long been sold out, there are said to be more than 10,000 pre-orders for the usual models, and the launch in Europe is also on the calendar this year with a first showroom in Munich.
And the stockbrokers are apparently also satisfied and have valued the company at around 60 billion dollars when it debuted on Wall Street – almost as much as BMW or Daimler. In the meantime, the securities watchdogs have taken a closer look and the Americans first have to prove that they can make the leap from start-up to series manufacturer. It is not for nothing that the Arizona factory is designed for an annual production of 90,000 cars in the medium term.
But they are not lacking in confidence. On the contrary: While the Air hasn’t really taken off yet, they are already planning the second series and with it even larger quantities: In just one year, an SUV called Gravity should give the brand additional traction.
Lucid Air Dream Edition, Performance Specifications
Five-seat luxury sedan
- Length: 4.98 meters
- Width: 1.94 meters (width with exterior mirrors: 2.20 meters)
- Height: 1.41 meters
- Wheelbase: 2.60 meters
- Trunk volume: 456 rear + 202 front liters
The Air is said to travel up to 837 kilometers.
- Drive: 2 x electric motors
- 817 kW/1,111 hp
- maximum torque: over 1,000 Nm
- 0-100km/h: 2.8s
- Vmax: 270 km/h
- Average consumption: not specified
- CO2 emissions: 0 g/km
- Range (US standard): 520 miles/837 km
- Price (US): $169,000
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