On Friday at Monterey Car Week, the electrical car startup Lucid added a brand new variant to its portfolio: the Lucid Air Sapphire. It’s the primary of a brand new sub-brand for Lucid, including much more efficiency to vehicles that have been hardly underpowered to start with. With an additional motor within the combine, the corporate’s new automobile ought to hit 60 mph (98 km/h) in lower than two seconds and 100 mph (160 km/h) in lower than 4 seconds whereas preserving a high velocity in extra of 200 mph (321 km/h). Such efficiency is not low cost, nevertheless; when the automobile goes into restricted manufacturing subsequent yr, it would accomplish that with a $249,000 price ticket.

The inspiration for each the automobile’s coloration and its identify got here from American racing historical past.

“Sapphire is the embodiment of what ultra-high-performance luxurious means to Lucid. [It] is among the many most valued gem stones, prized for his or her brilliance, coloration, and hardness,” mentioned Derek Jenkins, SVP of name and design at Lucid. “Imperial Blue has lengthy been the de facto nationwide coloration for American motorsports groups engaged in worldwide competitions. As Lucid’s devoted ultra-high-performance model, Sapphire references this historical past whereas setting new requirements for innovation and know-how.”

In addition to the blue paint, the Air Sapphire has a sportier inside than its siblings. That means black leather-based and Alcantara, with closely bolstered seats to maintain you in place whereas experiencing lateral Gs. And there’s a reasonably large spoiler on the rear that stops the automobile from producing raise at velocity.

The engineering adjustments that make an Air a Sapphire are much less seen. Most clearly, there’s the addition of a 3rd motor; the entrance axle retains a single motor drive unit, however the rear drive unit accommodates a motor for every rear wheel.

This new twin-motor drive unit may even torque-vector, making use of optimistic torque to at least one wheel and unfavorable torque to the opposite. In gradual corners, the powertrain can apply energy to the skin rear wheel in a nook whereas regeneratively braking the within rear wheel, serving to the automobile pivot extra quickly. However, Lucid hasn’t offered an actual energy or torque output for the brand new model but.

Our briefing on the Air Sapphire may even be the primary time I’ve heard an EV firm speak concerning the thermal effectivity of its friction brakes. The huge carbon ceramic discs are specced to haul the automobile again to a cease from almost thrice the authorized restrict, assuming you’ve got a runway or occur to be in Germany to check that. It additionally rides on greater, stickier tires and on stiffer, retuned suspension.

“Our goal with this, our first Sapphire mannequin, is to enrich the distinctive powertrain with sharper, extra responsive driving dynamics and elevated physique management. At the identical time, it was necessary to retain the distinctive journey high quality for which Lucid Air has come to be recognized,” mentioned David Lickfold, Lucid’s director of chassis and car dynamics.