The Lucid Air electric sedan was just delivered to its first customers last month, but it’s already winning awards.
On Monday, auto publication MotorTrend gave the 520-mile range EV the top title of “Car of the Year.”
The winner was selected from a pool of finalists that included other EVs like the Mercedes EQS and Porsche Taycan. No Tesla model was in the running. Gas-powered cars, including the Mercedes S-Class and Honda Civic, were also contenders.
Lucid won the “Golden Calipers” (MotorTrend’s top honor doled out every year since 1949) after it was evaluated on six areas: efficiency, value, advancement in design, engineering excellence, safety, and performance.
The first editions of the Air have the longest battery range of any EV, even surpassing the Tesla Model S, which has more than 400 miles of range.
In initial reviews, including Mashable’s, the interior earned praise for being spacious and luxurious, with high-tech features like the DreamDrive advanced driver assistance system and massage seats.
But the car doesn’t come cheap. The Dream edition starts at $169,000. A more basic (and cheaper) version of the Air is expected by the end of 2022.
