A New Lucid Air Performance Version Gives Luxury EV Some Speed Strategy

Electric vehicle maker Lucid has taken the wraps off Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance, a new variant of its Lucid Air EV. This model packs a dual-motor design and up to 1,050 horsepower, which, the company claims, makes it the most powerful option among its EV brethren in the U.S. There's a motor located at each axle, making it possible to get the car up to speed quickly, and that's joined by a particularly notable range at 446 miles.

Other key features include a 2.6-second 0-to-60 mph acceleration speed, 21-inch wheels, and many standard features also found on the Air Grand Touring model: the 34-inch Glass Cockpit with Lucid UX, the Surreal Sound audio system with 21 speakers, Lucid's DreamDrive Pro driver assistance platform, and support for ultra-fast charging. Assuming you connect the vehicle with a 350 kW DC fast charger, the automaker says the Performance model will get up to 300 miles of range in only 21 minutes, making the biggest hassle that comes with EVs a bit more bearable.

Lucid Group

The automaker plans to start delivering the newest version of its Lucid Air EV to customers in the U.S. starting this summer, followed soon after with deliveries in Canada. As you likely anticipate, however, the model comes doesn't come cheap. Buyers in the U.S. can expect a price of $179,000, while the Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance will cost $242,000 in Canada. 

According to Lucid, buyers will get to choose from one of four interior "themes" for their EV, each based around major destinations in California, the state where the company is based: Mojave, Tahoe, Santa Cruz, and Mojave PurLuxe. Depending on the theme selected, buyers can expect everything from full-grain leather to wood trim and inserts. Those themes are joined by a total of five exterior color options: Quantum Grey, Zenith Red, Stellar White, Cosmos Silver, and Infinite Black.

On a related note, Lucid has also announced that its Air Grand Touring model (not the newly announced Performance version, mind) is now being delivered to customers. According to company CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson, the Performance variant is designed to meet "the strong demand we continue to see from higher-performance versions of the Lucid Air." Both of these models follow the previously launched Lucid Air Dream Edition, of which only 520 units were produced (and quickly purchased).