Introducing Sapphire.
The pinnacle of electric performance.

The first Sapphire, and certainly not the last. Lucid Air Sapphire.
The Sapphire concept was born during the initial development phase of Lucid Air. As we looked across our product lineup, which already included vehicles pushing the limits of what an EV could do, we realized that we had assembled the engineering, design, and technical prowess to harness the potential of electric vehicles and build a line of focused, ultra-high-performance vehicles far beyond anything that existed. 

Going from concept to reality was no small endeavor. We spent nights, weekends, and a few legal holidays in the engineering studio and on the track, running lap after lap until we were confident we had extracted every pound-foot of torque, every aerodynamic advantage, and maximized the performance of every component. And while each lap went by blisteringly fast, the rigorous engineering, testing, and refining pushed our team as hard as they pushed the car. What they accomplished is nothing short of inspirational.

“Sapphire is the embodiment of what ultra-high-performance luxury means to Lucid,” said Derek Jenkins, SVP of Brand and Design. “What we see today with Lucid Air Sapphire is just the beginning for the Sapphire brand.”

Three is a magic number.
At the heart of our quest to maximize performance is our very first three-motor powertrain. The new twin rear-drive unit — developed and manufactured in-house — incorporates torque vectoring, which extends the capabilities of the car beyond those achievable with a passive all-wheel-drive system. It works in tandem with the single motor front-drive unit to deliver over 1,200 horsepower, making it not only the most powerful electric sedan ever produced but also the most powerful sedan in the world.

These groundbreaking drive units generate vast power and enhanced delivery through technologies including Lucid’s microjet stator cooling and wave winding. The twin rear-drive unit also introduces new heat exchanger technology and heightened coolant flow rate, and the battery system is upgraded for higher power and more precise thermal logic. With these innovations, Lucid Air Sapphire will deliver breathtaking acceleration in all phases of driving. Zero to 60 mph in less than two seconds. Zero to 100 mph in less than four seconds. The standing quarter mile in less than nine seconds. And over 200 mph. All with no further modifications or protracted preconditioning routines.¹ Finally, the motors’ diminutive size and remarkable efficiency allow the new Lucid Air Sapphire to retain the uncompromising luxury, intelligent use of space, and class-leading range that are hallmarks of Lucid Air.

“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,” notes SVP of Product and Chief Engineer Eric Bach.
 

Performance in perfect harmony.
While our focus on performance began with the three-motor powertrain, it certainly didn’t end there. Our team took a holistic approach to development, engineering every component of Lucid Air Sapphire to work harmoniously with the new motor configuration, harnessing its full potential and providing track-capable handling and braking as standard.

“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. “At the same time, it was important to retain the exceptional ride quality for which Lucid Air has come to be known.”

To that end, 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 (EPS).

Carbon-ceramic brakes provide exceptional stopping power and contribute to the vehicle’s braking endurance during high-performance driving. We perfected its chassis setup to maximize the benefits of the three-motor powertrain and the torque-vectoring capabilities of the twin rear-drive unit, as well as the wider, more aggressive wheels and tires. The body has been widened 21 millimeters at the front and 24 millimeters at the rear to accommodate ultra-high-performance staggered Aero Sapphire wheels and specially developed Michelin PS4S tires, sized 265/35R20 in the front and 295/30R21 in the rear. These tires utilize a compound developed specifically for Lucid vehicles, and are identified by an LM1 designation. These unique wheels also feature removable carbon-fiber aero disk wheel covers, which help to optimize the aerodynamic efficiency of the car. 
 

Torque vectoring extends the car’s capabilities far beyond what’s achievable with a passive all-wheel-drive system. 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.

All of these advancements work in harmony to provide wide-reaching benefits for drivers, with improvements to turn-in, cornering balance across all speeds, corner exit, and high-speed stability and disturbance rejection.

We designed the exterior to be as functional as it is beautiful. The team paid particular attention to refining the aerodynamic character of the body, striking the ideal balance between added downforce, which enhances vehicle stability at higher speeds, and reduced drag, which affects both performance and efficiency.

We extended the sense of purpose to the interior as well. The new Sapphire Mojave interior theme includes new highly bolstered Lucid-designed 18-way power sport seats, upholstered in Lucid 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. 

We’ve even optimized the Glass Cockpit and Pilot Panel interfaces with useful performance-focused menus and drive modes, including a new Sapphire Mode, which helps the driver extract every ounce of performance we carefully engineered into this remarkable vehicle.

Blue means go.
We began our search for a color that would be a fitting introductory statement for our new ultra-high-performance brand by brushing up on our racing history. Each major motor racing country has its own bespoke signal color. The United States’ racing color is an Imperial Blue, and served as our initial inspiration for the Sapphire concept.

Constantly inspired by our home state of California, we didn’t have to go far from home for additional fuel for our color development. California’s state gem is Benitoite, a rare stone mined in a location just south of our headquarters. Its piercing blue color led us to the vibrant Sapphire Blue which serves as our signature color for the body and all accents.

Another small but important detail found throughout Lucid Air Sapphire is our Lucid bear logo, one of the icons of the Lucid brand identity. It represents the spirit of California, and its powerful, independent personality made it a natural choice for taking a more prominent presence in our first Sapphire. The Lucid bear logo appears on the seat headrests, the anodized blue wheel center locks, the Glass Cockpit and Pilot Panel interfaces, and other tasteful locations throughout the vehicle.

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.

— Peter Rawlinson

The future is faster.
Lucid Air Sapphire is just the beginning, representing the launch of an entirely new performance-focused brand within Lucid, one which ushers in a new era of performance for the electric vehicle market. Additional Sapphire models will be available for all Lucid models moving forward, continuing to set new standards for how luxury performance can look and feel.

Lucid Air Sapphire will be offered as a limited-production model, with availability in the US and Canada planned for the first half of 2023. The price is $249,000 USD and $325,000 CAD.²

Configure and reserve yours now.

¹ Lucid Air Sapphire is in pre-production. Final specifications are not currently available.

² 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.