2024 is set to become a pivotal year for Lucid Motors. The California-based carmaker is deep into the development of its Gravity SUV, which it aims to start selling before the end of the year. Its 2023 sales results saw a 37 percent increase over the previous twelve months, signaling that the marque has begun to bounce back from recent sales woes.
Still, the carmaker produced 2,427 more cars than it sold in 2023, which triggered some outrageously enticing lease offers at the start of 2024 to move this oversupply of inventory. Now, the 2024 Lucid Air aims to keep the positive momentum going by simplifying its model range while significantly reducing the cost of entry.
We flew to the brand’s headquarters in Newark, CA, to drive every variant of the Air back to back, from the $69,900 Pure to the $249,000 Sapphire. We poked around the upcoming Gravity SUV and even peaked at the mid-size offerings that’ll follow it in the coming years.
The $249,000 Flagship
Our day began atop the forested hills of Woodside, CA, with a lineup of charged-up Airs sitting along Route 84’s twistiest edges as it winds down to the Pacific Coast Highway. By chance, we began the day behind the wheel of the $249,000, 1,234-horsepower, tri-motor 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire, a potentially disastrous move. From our brief first drive last year, we know the Sapphire is a genuinely starling machine. With acceleration comparable to the 1,900-hp Pininfarina Battista we drove the year prior, it isn’t the kind of car you can simply jump in and mash its accelerator. Maxing out a Sapphire requires a fair bit of mental preparation and plenty of straight road ahead. Would the lower tiers feel comparatively outgunned if our day began in this?
This western portion of Route 84 is tailor-made for a lightweight two-seater. With tight switchbacks and only short straights before heaving braking zones, it’s the ideal place to fling around something small in which you can carry plenty of momentum. However, as we connected the first few bends, the Sapphire quickly clarified that it wasn’t just a straight-line monster. It’ll sprint to 60 mph in 1.89 seconds and top out at 205 mph, but the intuitiveness and response from its steering and brakes, along with a perfectly balanced chassis, are equally as impressive as its headline figures.
We have the Sapphire’s firmer springs, retuned dampers, and stiffer bushings to thank. Lucid also developed a ground-up traction control system and unique tuning for its ABS, stability control, and electric power steering. These work in tandem with the Sapphire’s true torque vectoring system, deployed by its two rear electric motors, while a third unit sends power to the front axle. Carbon-ceramic brakes, a staggered set of 20 and 21-inch wheels wrapped in model-specific Michelin PS4S rubber measuring 265/35 upfront and 295/30 in the back come standard. Even with its sticky rubber, the Sapphire still boasts an estimated range of 427 miles.
While the 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire’s $249,000 price tag is undoubtedly shocking at first, especially given that the Air Grand Touring costs half as much, it’s only in the bends where its supercar cost of entry makes sense. No luxury car accelerates, stops, or steers like Lucid’s flagship. Despite weighing over 5,336 pounds, its near-perfect balance obfuscates its heft. Yet even with its tremendous capabilities, it’s approachable to drives of practically any skill level. The Sapphire’s updated hardware and advanced software distill previously unimaginable performance levels and elegantly place them within reach of us, mere mortals.
“So, only 819 horsepower?”
Sliding out of the Sapphire’s finely bolstered driver’s seat, with a stirred stomach and tingling fingertips, we made our way to the 2024 Lucid Air Grand Touring, the trim of this electric sedan quartet that receives the most significant updates. Only four Airs made it to the new model year, leaving the 1,050-hp Grand Touring Performance in 2023. “So, only 819 hp?” we asked a Lucid representative. “Yup, only 819 hp.”
Despite the GT developing more power than a McLaren 750S or a Ferrari 296 GTB, the step down from the Sapphire is striking. The latter is over a full second quicker to 60 mph, with the former taking three seconds to complete the run. More impactfully, however, the GT doesn’t blur your vision or squish your organs like the flagship can. Still, the Grand Touring will still feel supercar quick for everyone who hasn’t just stepped out of the quickest accelerating sedan ever made.
While they share a name, the 2024 Lucid Air Grand Touring’s persona is distinctly one of a proper luxury sedan. It retains the agile handling and balanced chassis found in all Airs but pairs it with softer springs and bushings, which deliver a plush ride that’s far more compliant. For 2024, the GT gains a new heat pump that boosts its cold weather efficiency, enhances thermals for its two electric motors, and provides up to 30 percent faster DC charging thanks to an improved curve. It’ll cover up to 516 miles on a single charge.
Its cost of entry has also dramatically decreased from the previous 2023 model. While a GT started at $125,600, with the Performance variant pushing that base figure to $149,600, the 2024 model starts at $109,900, a $15,700 reduction. This moves its starting price well below direct competitors like the $148,700 Mercedes-AMG EQS Sedan or the $168,500 BMW i7 M70. Only the $89,990 Tesla Model S Plaid undercuts it while delivering greater performance stats.
The Middle Child
While the delta between the Sapphire and the Grand Touring was immediately apparent, the difference in performance from the latter to the 2024 Lucid Air Touring is virtually nonexistent. It may produce 620 hp, or 199 hp less than the GT, and takes 3.4 seconds to sprint to 60 mph (0.4 seconds slower); the pair’s real-world acceleration and handling performance are practically identical.
The Touring’s smaller 92-kilowatt-hour battery pack sets it apart from the pricier GT and its 112 kWh unit. While its range shrinks to an estimated 411 miles, the smaller pack allows for greater cabin space, especially for the second row. Still, the Touring retains its two-motor setup and all-wheel drive, which accounts for its barely noticeable step down in performance.
For 2024, its base price will shrink further. While the previous model year started at $95,000, the latest iteration costs $77,900, a $17,100 reduction. Alongside its recent price cuts, Lucid has expanded its customization flexibility, opening extras such as the highly adjustable massaging seats previously unique to the Grand Touring as an option for the Touring alongside a growing number of customization options such as the Stealth Appearance Package, making this lineup’s middle child the ideal value proposition.
The One To Have
From the carmaker’s perspective, the most crucial trim level present is the 2024 Lucid Air Pure, which the marque hopes will become its best seller. Like the Grand Touring and Touring trims, the Pure also benefits from price cuts. However, its dip from $82,400 to $69,900 is significant because it provides an entryway into the brand for people for whom a near six-figure EV was previously out of reach.
The Pure’s biggest differentiator is its single-motor rear-wheel drive configuration. While its battery pack shrinks slightly to 90 kWh, it still boasts an estimated range of 419 miles, thanks in part to its smaller standard 19-inch wheels. Still, it’ll develop 430 hp, allowing it to 60 mph while boasting an estimated range figure of 419 miles.
On the road, the Pure may technically be the slowest Air on sale, but its unique configuration has significant advantages. It’s, for example, tipping the scales at 4,564 pounds, 445 lb lighter than the two-motor Touring and a whole 640 lb less than the Grand Touring and its larger battery pack, resulting in substantial improvements to its overall agility. The massive weight savings amount to a luxury sedan that’s sizable and spacious but handles like you’d expect a much smaller car. While it retains adaptive dampers, the Pure’s suspension is softer overall as it doesn’t need to manage the extra heft.
Despite its positioning as the lineup’s entry-level model, the Pure is still a proper Air, meaning you get the ride quality, interior space, and overall efficiency at a reduced cost. From an external perspective, aside from a few badgers and a smaller set of standard wheels, Lucid’s $69,900 entry point looks indistinguishable from pricier variants. The Pure’s biggest drawback is its lack of customization options. For example, the Glass Canopy available for higher trims isn’t an option. Only the $3,000 Santa Cruz interior is available as an extra, while the largest wheels are an optional set of 20s for $1,200.
Given that it looks like the rest of the lineup and manages to deliver the same balanced chassis and excellent handling as its higher trimmed variants, for those who can get by without having the quickest 0-60 time, the Pure is for most people, the one to have.
The Future
Alongside allowing us to drive every new 2024 Lucid Air, the carmaker gave us a tour of a prototype of its upcoming Gravity, a three-row SUV with an expected starting price of under $80,000. Like the Air’s mentioned above, the Gravity takes the marque’s well-known design language and translates it onto a larger body. According to Lucid, its first SUV has the footprint of an Audi Q7 but offers the interior space of a Cadillac Escalade. No performance statistics have yet to be announced, so expect similar dual motor configurations to what we see in the brand’s sedan offerings.
Inside, the SUV features a 6K resolution display with a new squared-off steering wheel and updated interior colors. Additionally, the Gravity introduces new color themes inspired by various locations across California, such as Yosemite and Ojai. Its second and third rows fold perfectly flat, allowing for a van-like cargo capacity, although the carmaker has yet to unveil official figures. While the marque’s development team continues working on its prototypes, the California-based brand aims for its first SUV offering to go on sale later this year.
We toured the brand’s HQ and saw its two upcoming mid-size crossover offerings. Slated to debut sometime in 2026, the carmaker did not allow us to snap any photographs of the models, but we could see a smaller crossover and what looked like a more rugged off-road-focused take to its right. While details were understandably scarce, the carmaker did mention these new mid-size offerings would be more cost-conscious and ride on an entirely new platform. Additionally, they’d focus on enhancing the user experience through a new focus on UX design, allowing people to spend more time in the car while still being connected to others. According to Lucid, it expects a three-year development cycle, which has already begun.
