Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Auto
  3. News

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

The 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire is quicker than a Bugatti Chiron

The Lucid Air Sapphire is contender for the fastest EV on the planet

Lucid Air Sapphire parked in front of a house
When the Lucid Air was first sold in 2021, it was a worthy competitor of the Tesla Model S in the luxury segment. What’s even more interesting is that the founder of Lucid Motors was the former chief engineer of the Tesla Model S. But Lucid Motors doesn’t just want to make luxury sedans; it wants to take things to the next level. For instance, the Lucid Air Grand Touring, with a range of 516 miles, makes number one on the list of the EVs with the longest range on the market. 

Like that’s not enough, Lucid Motors wants the bragging rights of making one of the world’s fastest electric cars. With the 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire finally coming out of the production line, it can finally achieve that feat. What makes it special?

2024 Lucid Air Sapphire parked in front of a house.
Lucid Motors / Lucid Motors

The Lucid Air Sapphire can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 1.89 seconds

The Lucid Air Sapphire can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 1.89 seconds. That’s fast enough to push you at the back of your seat like you’re on a supersonic jet. To put that into perspective, the Lucid Air Sapphire is fast enough to beat some of the fastest cars in the world in a drag race. If you have to see it to believe it, Hagerty tested the prototype, and it was faster than the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport and Tesla Model S Plaid in a quarter-mile drag race. It also beat the Ducati Panigale V4, which is one of the fastest motorcycles in the world

Recommended Videos

Its super-fast acceleration is engineered using two rear axle motors and one front motor to deliver up to 1234 horsepower and 1,430 lb.-ft of torque. It can also achieve a maximum speed of 205 mph and cover 427 miles on a fully charged battery. But the biggest wow factor about the Lucid Air Sapphire is that it weighs slightly over 5,000 pounds, yet it is as fast as the upcoming Tesla Roadster. 

In fact, it almost looks like the Lucid Air, but the exterior has been slightly tweaked to reduce its drag. To give credit where it’s due, it’s basically a Lucid Air that’s been re-engineered by Sapphire, the performance division of Lucid Motors — it’s similar to how AMG customizes Mercedes-Benz models

Are you wondering about the Lucid Air price? If you have $249,000 to spare, you can order the Lucid Air Sapphire and have it parked in your garage before the end of 2023.

James Dolan
Former Contributor
James Dolan is an automotive writer with extensive work experience having been published on The Drive, Hot Cars, Green…
Max Verstappen loathes F1’s LEGO parade ahead of British Grand Prix– and he’s unapologetic about it
Max Verstappen is not a happy camper.
Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen is one of the most intense Formula 1 drivers. That intensity was on display when he expressed his feelings about the upcoming LEGO parade on Sunday at the British Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver didn't hold any punches when sharing his disdain for the event, and it makes you wonder if Verstappen will participate in such a thing ever again.

Read more
Carlos Sainz proposes penalty that could radically change F1 qualifying landscape
Carlos Sainz proposes grid penalty after Verstappen's qualifying crash in Austria
Carlos Sainz

It's been nearly a week since George Russell won the Austrian Grand Prix at the famed Red Bull Ring, but there's still significant fallout following his pole-position win in Q3, courtesy of Spanish driver Carlos Sainz, who is proposing a severe penalty for drivers who trigger yellow and red flags during qualifying sessions.

For the uninitiated, the drama unfolded one day before the main event during Q3, when Red Bull's Max Verstappen crashed at the second-to-last corner on his final lap. The crash prompted a single-waved yellow flag, which Russell, who races for Mercedes-Benz, adhered to by lifting when passing through a single-waved yellow-flag zone, per F1's rulebook. Despite being forced to lift, Russell's final lap was more than good enough to earn him pole position.

Read more
Mercedes takes two podium spots in Austria Grand Prix 2026
Russell and Antonelli take two of the top spots while Verstappen spoils a top two finish
Auto Racing, Car, Formula One

700 meters above sea level and tucked back into the Styrian Hills sits the most vista-rich track in all of Formula 1's Grand Prix Circuit. The Austria Grand Prix took place early this morning for the US viewers, and it held a bevy of exciting moments and ended with a great day for Mercedes and the exact opposite for Ferrari, who were unable to repeat their Barcelona excellence to finish in fifth and eighth place. Of course, Cadillac and Aston Martin would have paid good money to have a day like Ferrari, with Cadillac collecting two DNF's and Aston Martin's Stoll couldn't finish the race yet again, leaving another disappointing, pointless weekend for the team. Mercedes was the clear winner as they pulled away from the pack and took the first and third podiums with Max Verstappen sandwiched in between them.

Mercedes wins the day

Read more