Lucid took the EV world by storm when it introduced the Air Dream Edition. With 1,111 horsepower (828 kW) on tap and an EPA-predicted range of 520 miles, there is certainly no one that can beat it in range. It is also one of the fastest production cars you can buy right now. Unfortunately, you cannot have one now since the $169,000 flagship model was sold out about a year earlier. However, the automaker is introducing the 2022 Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance model for $10K more.
As clear by the name, the new variant sits above the Air Grand Touring with much more power. The official figure is 1,050 hp (783 kW) but that puts a dent in its EPA range, which is 446 miles using 21-inch wheels. Comparing it with the Air Grand Touring it offers 516 miles between charges with 19-inch wheels or 469 on 21-inchers. The automaker does not make available 19-inch wheels for the Grand Touring Performance.
Comparing the performance figures, the Air Grand Touring delivers 819 hp (611 kW), so the Performance variant adds 231 hp (more than what Honda Civic Si offers). This tremendous power enables the Performance to hit 60 mph in just 2.6 seconds.
As far as charging is concerned, Lucid’s 900-volt architecture is so efficient that it can add 300 miles in only 21 minutes using a 350 kW fast charger.
“Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance answers the strong demand we continue to see for higher-performance versions of the Lucid Air,” stated Peter Rawlinson, CEO, and CTO of Lucid Group. “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.”
We believe you have noticed that the 1050 horsepower figure of the Air Grand Touring Performance is a little lower than the Dream Edition. Furthermore, the Performance’s drive range is lower than the Dream’s 520-mile range with 19-inch wheels. However, since the Performance does not have 19-inch wheels, we should compare the range of both variants with 21-inchers. Here, the Dream offers just 5 miles more than the Performance.
The 0 to 60 sprint of both the Dream Edition and the Performance is virtually identical. So, we can say that the Air Grand Touring Performance is an ideal alternative to the Dream Edition. That said, at an initial price of $179,000, how could we discount the $10,000 increment for a model delivering less power and range.
The automaker confirmed that the 2022 Air Grand Touring Performance will hit the showrooms in America in June 2022, and August 2022 in Canada.
Source and Images: Motor1