Lucid Motors, the California-based luxury EV automaker, showed off a new, brilliant blue performance variant of its Air: the Lucid Air Sapphire. The new edition boasts more than 1,200 horsepower and it rockets from zero to 60 mph in under 2 seconds, the company announced Friday at “The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering” event during Monterey Car Week.

Lucid currently makes three variants of the Lucid Air, not including the new Sapphire: the Dream, Grand Touring and Grand Touring Performance. The addition of the Sapphire variant marks a launch of an “entire performance brand,” according to Derek Jenkins, Lucid senior vice president of design and brand.

Performance, Range and Specs

The Lucid Air Sapphire edition builds on the momentum and technology of the previous versions of the Air, adding an additional motor at the rear for a three-motor setup: one in the front and two in the back. These rear motors will help add power and steering control to the family-sized sedan. The two motors at the rear can provide torque to the rear wheels in opposite directions to help provide better vehicle turn-in and rotation, as well as faster response times.

The motors have been developed in-house by Lucid and incorporate special winding and stator cooling mechanisms to keep the motors at optimal operating temperature. The company also says it upgraded the battery system for higher power, though it didn’t provide any data about it at the time of release. 

The Sapphire will deliver more horsepower than the Air’s dual-motor versions, including the Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance model, which delivers 1,050 horsepower. With more than 1,200 horsepower (according to the company), the Sapphire could be the most powerful sedan in the world, beating out the Tesla Model S Plaid by as much as 200 horsepower. Lucid says the Sapphire trim will do zero to 100 in under 4 seconds and complete a quarter-mile in under 9 seconds. 

What’s more, the new variant and its additional motor will all fit into the same package as the other Lucid sedans coming off the line. The additional motor at the rear won’t cut into passenger or cargo space, according to the brand. 

The Sapphire also gets upgraded carbon ceramic brakes and differently tuned suspension bits, including different spring rates and damping, as well as performance wheels and tires. Most notable, however, is the exterior color: Sapphire blue–and somewhat color changing in sunlight. The company says it chose the color because of its racing heritage (blue was the color that represented American teams in international motorsports racing) and its connection to California, where the company is based. The first run of the vehicle will only be offered in the blue hue. 

The blue theme is continued inside, with blue stitching, new upgraded seats and an Alcantara steering wheel. The Sapphire edition has additional Sapphire mode, which turns the interior lighting blue and gives the driver access to the performance settings for the vehicle.

How Much Will the Sapphire Cost?

The Lucid Sapphire variant will go on sale in the first half of 2023, and Lucid said during a press briefing that current Lucid reservation-holders will not lose their place in line to the more expensive Sapphire builds. Pricing will start at $249,000, and reservations for the new, more powerful, blue variant opened Friday. 

The next most affordable Air is the Grand Touring Performance edition which stickers around $180,000. Lucid wouldn’t say how many Sapphire editions it plans to build, but did say that production will be limited because of limited supply of new components needed for the variant.