Automotive

400-mile Lucid Air's $70K base price prompts Tesla Model S drop

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Lucid Motors Air
Lucid Motors
Lucid Motors Air
Lucid Motors
Looking straight down the 34 inches of curved glass instrument panel that comes standard on the Air
Lucid Motors
The base Air comes standard with PurLuxe animal-free trim
Lucid Motors
The Lucid Air Dream Edition is available in a model-exclusive Eureka Gold paint
Lucid Motors
The Air offers plenty of light with its large windshield and glass roof
Lucid Motors
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When Lucid Motors debuted the much anticipated Air sedan last month, there were many numbers being thrown about but a few that were quite noticeably missing: essentially the entire spec sheet for the base-level trim of the hopeful Tesla Model S assassin. Lucid filled that glaring hole this week, completing a number of "TBA" boxes with the vitals. The Air's sub-Model S base didn't go unnoticed at Tesla, where Elon Musk quickly answered with a pricing announcement of his own.

"Below $80,000" was about the only interesting specific Lucid had provided about the base-level Air during the electric sedan's September premiere. Turns out, it's $2,600 below $80K, starting at $77,400 before tax credits. Slice the available $7,500 US federal tax credit off the top, and the $69,900 price slides "below $70,000," too.

The base 480-hp Air drops 140 horsepower from the next-level-up Touring model and loses one motor for a single-motor layout. That's still more than enough electric muscle for weekday commutes and Sunday morning joyrides.

More importantly, the base model has the same 406-mile (653-km) estimated range as the Touring, just besting the 402-mile (647-km) Tesla Long Range Plus, though Tesla's figure has the EPA's stamp of approval.

The Lucid Air Dream Edition will be the first to launch, bringing 1,080 hp and 2.5-second 0-60 acceleration
Lucid Motors

And like that, Elon Musk now stares at a future in which Tesla should finally have some proper competition, a car capable of competing with the Model S on range, price, performance and design. Took long enough.

Musk had a little fun with the moment, announcing the second Model S price drop in days in a tweet that satisfied both his competitive spirit and his inner teenager:

The advertised base price of the Model S Long Range Plus has in fact changed to $69,420. The Model S is no longer eligible for a US federal tax credit.

So pricing won't be a driving factor when shopping base Model S and base Lucid Air, though delivery certainly will be for those that see themselves driving a new car more in the present than the future. The base Air will be the last Air model to launch when it rolls out in 2022.

Those who don't mind the wait can reserve the Air now with a $300 deposit.

You can read more details about the Lucid Air, including the 1,080-hp Dream Edition flagship, in our article about its premiere.

Source: Lucid Motors

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5 comments
guzmanchinky
Very interesting car, but I wouldn't buy the first year.
DavidB
..and I wouldn't wait one to two years for a "base Air" if I were going to spend $70K on it...if I even *had* $70K to spend on a car.
promotousa
MEH on the styling. Is this a new Oldsmobile Aurora??
WB
sounds like anohter fisker.. looks great but then it just blows up. no auto update. to be frank I'd spend the 70k on a tesla s.. that one runs circles around this flacid dream thing
Daishi
Roadmap deadlines always tend to take longer than initially targeted. When they say they will produce a bade model in 2022 the reality will likely be the end of 2023 or some time in 2024. It's not like they have just few small items to wrap up they need to finish launching an entire car company, building a factory, and getting the higher tier models out the door first. It took Tesla a long time to get where they are it wouldn't be easy to catch them in a couple years.