Elite Traveler Fall 2024

Lucid Air Sapphire The second-quickest production vehicle ever made just happens to be a luxury sedan built in America that can seat fi ve adults comfortably. Truly, nothing proves the potency and potential of electri fi cation better than the Lucid Air four-door in Sapphire spec, which adds an extra motor to the rear drive unit to create an absolutely absurd 1,234 horsepower and 1,430 lb-ft of torque. The additional traction made possible by all-wheel drive and torque vectoring between three electric motors combined helps the Sapphire render 0-60 mph at an almost laughable 1.89 seconds. More relevant, maybe: The Sapphire can hit 100 mph in 3.84 seconds, or quicker than many other fast cars can reach 60 mph. And that’s on the way to a top speed of 205 mph — a fi gure limited only by the tire rating, not Lucid’s motor and battery tech. The roller-coaster jerk of such brutal acceleration can leave drivers and passengers almost out of breath, bordering on nausea. Yet, for daily driving, the Sapphire also marries surprisingly smooth driving dynamics with a level of thoughtful interior design reserved for only the fi nest legacy automakers. And bear in mind, Lucid only released its fi rst car in 2021 — not bad for essentially a start-up manufacturer. Sapphire will continue to expand as a sub-brand among Lucid’s growing lineup, including the forthcoming Gravity SUV and two as-yet-unnamed, smaller crossover-style EVs. Compared to lower spec Air models, the inaugural Sapphire adds more heavily bolstered seats to prevent bodies from sliding around, carbon-ceramic brakes to rein in any exuberant launches and aerodynamic enhancements to help maintain an impressive 427 miles of range. Plus, the dual rear motors also made possible the development of new track-focused drive settings, including easily controllable drifts that somehow also render a 5,336-lb curb weight irrelevant. From $250,500, lucidmotors.com

Photos Rossen Gargolov