Skip to main content

Lucid doubles down on horsepower with the Air Grand Touring Performance

The Lucid Air already boasts the longest range of any EV currently on sale, but now Lucid is focusing on performance.

Unveiled Tuesday, the Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance will be the sportiest regular-production version of the electric luxury sedan. Its dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain produces 1,050 horsepower, which will get the Grand Touring Performance from zero to 60mph in 2.6 seconds, according to Lucid.

Front three quarter view of the Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance EV.

Granted, those numbers don’t surpass the limited-volume Lucid Air Dream Edition P (for performance), which has a claimed 1,111 hp and 2.5-second zero-to-60mph time. But since reservations for the Dream Edition P (and the less powerful Dream Edition Range version) are now closed, the Grand Touring Performance is now the sportiest Air available. This new model is also the most powerful production EV currently available in North America, Lucid pointed out, beating the 1,020-hp Tesla Model S Plaid.

The range is estimated at 446 miles. That is less than the record 520 miles of the Dream Edition Range, as well as some other Lucid models, but still more than any other current production EV available in the United States. Only the base (non-Plaid) Model S comes close, with a 405-mile range rating. Lucid noted that the Air’s 350-kilowatt DC fast-charging capability added 300 miles of range in 21 minutes in recent independent media tests.

The Grand Touring Performance gets the same tech features as other Air models, including a 34-inch 5K dashboard display, over-the-air (OTA) software update capability, a 21-speaker Dolby Atmos-compatible audio system, and Lucid’s DreamDrive Pro driver-assist system.

Pricing starts at $179,000, and Lucid plans to begin U.S. customer deliveries in June. Lucid also qualifies for the full $7,500 federal EV tax credit.

Lucid also confirmed that deliveries of the Air Grand Touring (non-Performance) model have started. This version has 819 hp, can do zero to 60mph in a claimed 3.0 seconds, and has a 516-mile range with the standard 19-inch wheels. Optional 21-inch wheels drop the range to 469 miles.

Once production of the Grand Touring and Grand Touring Performance fully ramp up, Lucid will move on to lower-level Touring and Pure models. The automaker has also said it will launch an SUV, codenamed Project Gravity, in 2023.

Editors' Recommendations

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Lucid Air electric car completes 400-mile loop between San Francisco and L.A.
Lucid Air range test

Lucid Motors has said its upcoming Air electric car will have 400 miles of range, something even Tesla has not been able to achieve. The company claims to have hit that target in real-world conditions.

Lucid just released a video showing a prototype Air driving from San Francisco to Los Angeles and back -- covering 400 miles in each direction. The car drove each leg without charging, only plugging in during an overnight stop in L.A., according to Lucid. The trip took place in February, before California was put under a statewide shelter-in-place order in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Read more
Hummer will return as a 1,000-horsepower electric vehicle in Super Bowl ad
gmc hummer ev officially confirmed with 1000 horsepower teaser feature

Following months of rumors, General Motors confirmed the return of the Hummer -- with an Earth-friendly twist. The name previously attached to gas guzzling SUVs will now adorn an electric car sold under the GMC brand. Set to debut in a Super Bowl ad on Sunday, February 2, the electric Hummer will have specifications that are more supercar than truck.

Called the GMC Hummer EV, the reincarnated Hummer will have 1,000 horsepower and 11,500 pound-feet of torque. While a handful of cars -- including the Faraday Future FF91 electric SUV -- have achieved four-digit horsepower outputs, the Hummer EV will be the undisputed ruler of torque. Pickup trucks only recently passed the 1,000-lb.-ft. mark with diesel engines, after all. That tremendous power output will allow the Hummer EV to do zero to 60 mph in just 3.0 seconds, according to GMC.

Read more
Lucid Motors will finally unveil the production version of its electric car in April
Lucid Air electric car

Lucid Motors is finally ready to unveil the production-ready version of its 1,000-horsepower electric car that boasts an impressive 400 miles of range. The Lucid Air was first seen in 2016 in preproduction guise, but the company has dragged its feet on getting the car ready for sale. The version customers will actually get to buy is scheduled to be unveiled in New York this April, Lucid said in a blog post.

The post did not give a specific date for the unveiling, but press days for the 2020 New York Auto Show are April 8-9, so Lucid may stage the unveiling around that time to take advantage of the convergence of automotive media on the Big Apple for the show.

Read more