Lucid Air Named 2022 Motor Trend Car of the Year

Lucid became the 1st at any time automaker to have their debut design named Motor Development Auto of the Year on Monday. The Air began delivery just very last thirty day period but is by now distancing itself from the progressively crowded EV market place.

The Air boasts an EPA-rated array of 517 miles – adequate to make it from Lucid’s San Francisco Bay Spot headquarters to Tijuana – and a base value of $77,400, earning it the most costly winner of the prestigious award in its 52-yr heritage.

Motor Development is also placing alone out on a bit of a limb with the announcement, as the 14-12 months outdated automaker only plans to make about 500 Airs this calendar year just before ramping up generation future year. Lucid also declared progress has started on a SUV design, the Gravity, with a 2023 targeted supply.

An Engineering Marvel with a Surprising Sticker

The Air is host to some actually refreshing and interesting engineering improvements. Employing design and development tricks motivated by System 1 automobiles and Dyson vacuum cleaners, Lucid was ready to get the drag coefficient of the Air down to a staggering .200.

Engineers also have squeezed a spectacular 670 hp from its 163 pound motor – nearly three situations the effectiveness of the Tesla S powertrain – and the Dream P version will crank out a deal with-melting 1100 hp.

The Air also employs innovative battery compartment and cooling duct types together with a 900 volt electrical technique.

All of this technology does no great if the batteries are always depleted, but Lucid has that protected too, with a charging method that can offer 300 miles of vary on a 20-minute cost.

All of these technical specs are unquestionably extraordinary, and Lucid deserves all the credit rating coming to them for the improvements they’ve introduced to sector.

But Motor Pattern has provided maybe the automobile industry’s most important award to a design that, at north of $160,000 for the maxed-out edition, is nicely over and above the get to of the common buyer.

It was just a number of yrs in the past when the likes of the Volkswagen Golfing and Chevy Bolt won the award, and most the latest winners could have been yours for fewer than $50,000.

And even though the Air absolutely delivers performance for the steep sticker value, it is hard to see how a manufacturer that can barely get its vehicles to shoppers warrants this award this 12 months.