Tesla Challenger Lucid Motors Announces the More Affordable Version of its Air Sedan

author: Eric Walz   

A day after electric automaker Tesla slashed the price of its Model S sedan in the U.S., the company's newest rival Lucid Motors announced a lower priced version of its luxury-electric Air sedan, as well as prices for the entire model lineup of the Air sedan.

Although Lucid Motors has priced the top of the line Lucid Air Dream Edition at $169,000, that version is obviously not intended to be a mass-market EV. However, the new lower-priced Lucid Air costs $77,400, or $69,900 after the U.S. Federal Tax Credit of $7,500. This price point makes it a closer competitor to the Tesla Model S and new Porsche Taycan.

It's worth pointing out that the Lucid Air has not been officially qualified by the EPA for the $7,500 EV tax credit, but that could just because all of the paperwork is still being processed.

The Lucid Air Model lineup now includes the Air, Air Touring, Grand Touring, and limited production Dream Edition. After the $7,500 EV tax credit, the Air Touring costs $80,000 while the Grand Touring costs $124,000.

The lower priced version is simply called the "Lucid Air." It will be available in early 2022.

The price of the Air sedan makes it a closer competitor to Tesla's flagship Model S sedan, which has just been reduced. 

Tesla announced a $3,000 price cut for the Model S in the U.S. this week. The Long Range Plus Model S has been reduced to $71,990. However, Tesla vehicles no longer qualify for the federal EV tax credit of up to $7,500, which would have lowered that price even further to $64,490, giving Lucid Motors price advantage over Tesla with the Air.

The well-equipped Lucid Air will have a projected range of 406 miles and its electric powertrain delivers 480 horsepower. The Lucid Air includes a single-motor powertrain with optional dual-motor, all-wheel drive configuration.

"The Lucid Air is a vehicle that thrills me personally because it delivers a level of performance, efficiency, and luxury that is currently unseen in today's EVs," said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO, Lucid Motors. "Our vision from the beginning – what drives this company – is creating the world's best EV technology while making it progressively more attainable over time. With the starting price of Lucid Air range announced today, we are setting the stage for broader adoption of the latest, game-changing EV technology."

Rawlingson said the ultra-luxurious Air sedan will be the "world's most advanced electric car" and define Lucid as a company. 

The interior of the Lucid Air.

All versions of the Air sedan come with a 900-volt electrical architecture with DC fast charging capability. Through a partnership with charging provider Electrify America, Lucid Air buyers will receive three years of free charging at Electrify America's nationwide network of ultrafast charging stations.

Luxurious appointments for the Lucid Air model include PurLuxe animal-free interior trim, a 34" curved Lucid Glass Cockpit, floating display, and the largest frunk ever fitted to an electric sedan, Lucid claims. 

The Lucid Air model is also available with Lucid advanced driver assist system (ADAS) it calls DreamDrive. 

DreamDrive includes an advanced sensor suite that includes high-resolution LIDAR and a driver monitoring system. The entire DreamDrive system is built upon a fully redundant platform that can operate in the event that one of the individual components fails.

Additional DreamDrive updates in development by Lucid Motors will enable Level 3 autonomous driving in certain situations, the company said.

The more powerful 620 horsepower Lucid Air Touring model offers more premium options, including an available full glass Canopy Roof that makes the interior feel more spacious. It also offers a wider range of choices for interior materials and finishes. It also includes a dual-motor configuration with all-wheel-drive drive.

Moving up the model lineup, the Grand Touring Air offers 800 horsepower and a range of up to 517 miles. It will be available in Summer 2021.

Reservations for Lucid Air and Lucid Air Touring, as well as the other models in the Lucid Air range, are open now and can be placed at the Lucid Motors website or at one of Lucid's retail locations, including the recently opened Beverly Hills Studio and service center. 

Assembly of the Lucid Air sedan will take place at the company's new factory in Casa Grande, Arizona, which is currently under construction. 

Customer deliveries for the Lucid Air Dream Edition begin in early 2021.

Eric Walz

Originally hailing from New Jersey, Eric is a automotive & technology reporter covering the high-tech industry here in Silicon Valley. He has over 15 years of automotive experience and a bachelors degree in computer science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting, allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies in the auto industry and beyond. He has worked at Uber on self-driving cars and as a technical writer, helping people to understand and work with technology.