Skip to main content

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
Contributor
James Dolan is an automotive writer with extensive work experience having been published on The Drive, Hot Cars, Green…
Surprise finishes for the F1 2024 Qatar Grand Prix Sprint and Qualifying event
Norris returned a favor, even though the team told him not to do it.
Formula 1 race cars during the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix.

The F1 2024 Qatar Grand Prix Sprint race on November 30, 2024, and the  Qualifying event for the December 1 Grand Prix were both competitive with unexpected finishes. McLaren driver Lando Norris moved aside to let teammate Oscar Piastri finish first in the Sprint race, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen surprised everyone, including himself, when he won the pole position in the Grand Prix starting grid.
Qatar Sprint race results
Only six of the 24 Grand Prix races in 2024 were scheduled to include Sprint races. F1 includes Sprint races to add excitement to the weekend and give the drivers and teams a chance to pick up extra Championship points. The first eight finishers win sprint race points. The winner gets eight points, and each successive finisher gets one less. The driver who comes in eighth then gets one point.

In Saturday's Sprint race, McLaren's Lando Norris was leading when, just before crossing the finish line, he slowed down, moved over, and allowed teammate Oscar Piastri to win.

Read more
Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix 2024 preview: the team title is on the line
At this point, the Constructors' Championship is McLaren's to lose
Formula 1 race cars during the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix.

The penultimate Grand Prix of the 2024 F1 season takes place in Doha, Qatar, from November 29 to December 1. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen wrapped up the F1 Drivers' Championship on November 23 at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, but the Constructors' Championship is still up for grabs.
Why the Qatar Grand Prix is a tough race
Temperatures and tight turns. The Qatar Grand Prix is held at Lusail International Circuit in the desert bordering the Persian Gulf in the Middle East. Even though it's a night race, last year's temperature was in the upper 80s, which added to the drivers' discomfort. The race is seven weeks later on the calendar this year, and temperatures are forecast to be in the low 70s. That should help.

The Qatar Grand Prix is held at Lusail International Circuit, a 3.37-mile track designed for motorcycle racing. During last year's race, several drivers were penalized for track limit violations. Track limit violations usually occur in corners when all four wheels are outside the track, even for a fraction of a second, which usually happens when one or more cars are trying to overtake another.
The F1 Constructors' Championship standing
Most F1 fans root for drivers who compete for the Drivers' Championship, but the Constructors' Championship is more significant for the teams financially. Drivers win Championship points when they finish in the top 10 places in a race, starting with 25 points for the winner and gradually dropping to 1 point for the tenth-place finisher. Constructors' points consist of the combined points of the two drivers on the team. At the end of the season, the F1 Organization pays financial awards to teams based on the Constructors' points.

Read more
2024 F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix results: Russell wins the race, Verstappen wins the Championship
Russell's win took a backseat to Verstappen's fourth Drivers' Championship
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen signaling his fourth F1 Drivers' Championship.

Mercedes driver George Russell won the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday, November 23. Russell drove masterfully, but Red Bull's Max Verstappen's fifth-place finish, one place ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris, got more attention because it locked in Verstappen's F1 World Drivers' Championship for the season. With Verstappen's fourth consecutive F1 crown, he joins a small group of drivers in F1's 75-year history.
Verstappen's Championship win
Max Verstappen started the 2024 race season as a continuance of 2023, when he dominated, winning 19 of 22 races. Midway into the season, after the June 23 Spanish Grand Prix, Red Bull's car wasn't as competitive as previously. The McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes drivers took the top step on the winners' podium until the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on November 3, when Verstappen won.

McLaren's Lando Norris was closest to Verstappen's Drivers' Championship points total and was going fast. Before the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Verstappen was 63 points ahead of Norris. With only three races left in the season. Given how points are distributed, all Verstappen had to do to wrap up the Championship was to beat Norris. And he did.
Las Vegas Grand Prix Race Results
When George Russell won the Austrian Grand Prix on June 30, it was only the fourth time another driver had won besides Verstappen. Russell's LVGP win certainly counts, and Mercedes team Principal Toto Wolf praised Russell's driving as "from another planet," but his victory pales in comparison to Max's winning the championship.

Read more