Electric sedan Lucid Air Sapphire smashes quarter mile in record time
- The Lucid Air Sapphire has snatched the title of quickest acceleration of any vehicle in production
- It’s left the previous title holder, the Tesla Model S Plaid, in the dust
- Check out this footage of it smashing the quarter mile in record time
Published on May 02, 2024 at 8:03 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on May 07, 2024 at 6:44 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Alessandro Renesis
The Lucid Air Sapphire is giving the Tesla Model S Plaid a run for its money.
A recent video has emerged of the electric sedan completing the 1/4 mile in a record time.
And it might just pip the Tesla with the ‘quickest acceleration of any vehicle in production’ to the post.
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The Lucid Air Sapphire completed the quarter mile in 8.930 seconds, bestowing upon it the title of ‘fastest production sedan in the world’.
With three engines – two at the back and one at the front – it’s pretty powerful.
By the time it crossed the finish line it was traveling at 248 km/h (154 mph) – not far from its top speed of 330 km/h (205 mph).
The EV also managed to clock an impressive 0-97 km/h (0-60 mph) time of just 1.77 seconds from a standstill.
That’s all down to its instant torque, lightweight aluminum roof, and the prepped surface of the track.
Plus the Lucid Air Sapphire has specially designed Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires.
These were custom to offer enhanced performance and increased efficiency, complemented by removable carbon-fiber aero disk wheel covers.
The driver at the wheel of the car was subjected to 1.5 G of acceleration due to the punch of the EV’s 1,234 HP.
The car has four modes: Smooth, Swift, Sapphire, and Track.
In Smooth and Swift, you’ve ‘only’ got access to 700 horsepower, whereas in Sapphire you’ve got all 1,234 hp.
Lastly, in Track mode, you can also select Dragstrip, Hot Lap, or Endurance and the car will adjust accordingly.
When you need to stop, it features carbon-ceramic brakes.
In terms of range, it can go 427 miles on a charge, and it only takes 20 minutes to go from zero to 300+ miles of range.
What makes this speed even wilder is the fact that this car looks like an ordinary sedan from the outside – not unlike this Ford EV van that looks like a regular Transit but hides an unexpected secret inside.
It’s assembled in Arizona but its heart belongs to California, and it shows.
The hub caps are adorned with a silhouette of the California bear, the same one that appears on the State flag, and the same bear is also applied on the wheel arches.
Visually, it’s long and sleek, with a low-slung aluminum roof and supercar-style 20-inch wheels at the front and 21-inch wheels at the back.
The wing mirrors are made from carbon fiber, as is the lip spoiler at the back.
Lucid Motors went the extra mile to make the car feel special with an infotainment screen that disappears at the click of a button, to give you access to a hidden storage compartment.
Check out the Tesla Cybertruck’s hidden storage spaces here.
The luxury cabin features four high-end materials: Alcantara, Nappa leather, real wood, and sustainable alpaca wool.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
