An American Startup Mocking Traditional Luxury

The luxury car market is on the verge of transformation due to electric vehicles. Instead of relying on traditional features like smooth engines and sophisticated refinement, electric motors have leveled the playing field, blurring the line between mainstream and luxury cars. Automakers must evolve to survive, devising new strategies to distinguish their EVs in the market.

At present, traditional automakers are at risk of lagging behind innovative startups. This was evident when we compared driving the entry-level 2024 Lucid Air Pure with an EV from a company boasting over a century of engineering heritage: the 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQS Sedan. While directly matching the Air Pure with the EQS would not be equitable based on pricing and market positioning, it prompted us to ponder the impressive standing of the Lucid among its peers.

Excluding Tesla, Lucid has significantly surpassed the conventional luxury sector to an extent where opting for a competitor seems illogical. To showcase Lucid’s supremacy, we have compiled the specifications of four comparable rivals in easily digestible charts. This comparison not only offers a clear view of how these electric sedans stack up against each other but also simplifies many of the intricate EV-specific terms into familiar concepts related to traditional combustion engines.

V8 Performance Without the V8 Price Tag

Performance is where the Lucid Air unequivocally outshines legacy players like BMW and Mercedes-Benz. To maintain fairness, we only focus on the entry-level models from each manufacturer, omitting the Air Sapphire with its extraordinary performance records. Despite the least powerful Lucid Air model being the Pure, it still offers impressive speed.

An impressive 430 hp is provided by a single electric motor, enabling a swift 0 to 60 mph acceleration in just 4.5 seconds. The 2024 BMW i5 eDrive40 and 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+ Sedan fall short with 335 and 288 hp, correspondingly. Similarly, their 0 to 60 times lag substantially behind that of Lucid: 5.7 seconds for the BMW and 6.2 seconds for the Mercedes. Although BMW and Mercedes no longer produce non-M or AMG V8 variants of the 5 Series and E-Class, a few years back, these models necessitated eight cylinders to generate roughly 450 hp. In gasoline engine terms, the Air provides V8-like performance, while the traditional German options only offer four or six-cylinder equivalent speed.

The 2024 Genesis Electrified G80 approaches Lucid closely with 365 hp delivered by two electric motors. Although this is lower than what the Air achieves with a single motor, a robust 516 lb-ft of torque helps the G80 win the 0-60 mph dash in 4.1 seconds. The 2024 Tesla Model S AWD also employs two motors, yielding class-leading standard power (670 hp) and a 0-60 mph time of just 3.1 seconds. These figures unequivocally demonstrate that the newer brands (Genesis, Lucid, Tesla) have displaced the iconic luxury labels, indicating that selling a high-performance electric sedan, even at the base level, is viable.

Maximizing Efficiency

Despite facing stiff competition from Genesis and Tesla in terms of performance, Lucid remains unrivaled in terms of efficiency. The driving range is a crucial metric for electric vehicles as they take longer to charge compared to refueling a gas-powered car, making endurance on a single charge essential. The Air Pure surpasses all competitors with a range of 419 miles, outlasting the Model S by 17 miles and exceeding the other sedans by over 100 miles. In Grand Touring configuration, the Lucid.

Air also claims the highest range among electric vehicles at 516 miles.

The exceptional range of the Lucid becomes more remarkable when you consider its small battery size of only 82 kWh. Despite its diminutive size, it outperforms competitors due to its superior energy efficiency. Analogously, think of comparing a Prius with a diesel pickup truck. While the truck may match the Prius in range, it necessitates a significantly larger fuel tank to achieve the same. Although we prefer miles per kWh as a standard of measurement, the EPA’s MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) metric is more commonly used, making it the prevailing benchmark. The Lucid shares the top efficiency spot with the Hyundai Ioniq 6, rated at 140 MPGe. The Model S comes close with 120 MPGe, but the other models fall behind. Furthermore, with Lucid’s recent announcement that the 2025 Air Pure model will achieve 146 MPGe, the competition is decisively outclassed.

Maximizing mileage from minimal battery capacity is crucial. While it’s impressive for companies like GM to boast a 300- or 400-mile range from models like the Hummer EV and Silverado EV, they require over 200 kWh to achieve this feat. Although large batteries enable extended range, they result in longer recharging times, higher production costs, and significant weight penalties. Despite its compact battery size, the Air features a 250 kW peak charging speed (300 kW on higher trims), matching Tesla for the fastest charging speed. Genesis comes close with a 235 kW peak speed, while BMW and Mercedes lag behind once again.

A Wonder In Packaging

Sedans might no more be the preferred choice for transporting a family in the United States, but Electric Vehicles have the potential to guide consumers back towards this body style. Eliminating the engine under the bonnet enables car manufacturers to experiment with packaging, utilizing more room in areas previously allocated for components such as the exhaust and transmission systems. Three of these sedans were crafted as EVs right from the inception, yet only two of them fully exploit this aspect. Let’s see if you can identify those two while examining the table below.

Both the Lucid Air and Tesla Model S demonstrate that electric sedans can serve as practical family vehicles; both provide more than 20 cubic feet of storage space in their trunks. The Tesla has a slight advantage due to its hatchback design, but the Lucid comes close with its spacious trunk and under-floor storage. Lucid gains the lead when the rear seats are folded, surpassing Tesla with 64.8 cubic feet compared to 61.4. The Air also boasts a significantly larger trunk, measuring 10 cubic feet versus Tesla’s mere 3.1 cubic feet.

BMW and Mercedes do not disclose storage space with the rear seats folded, but given their smaller trunk capacities, it’s unlikely that either can compete with Lucid or Tesla. Genesis not only has the smallest trunk space, but its seats are non-foldable, limiting additional space. Despite being developed as EVs from the ground up, similar to the Air and Model S, the EQE Sedan lacks a front trunk (commonly known as a frunk). The i5 and Electrified G80 share a platform with gasoline-powered models, resulting in neither having a frunk.

Passengers can also notice the benefits of Lucid’s exceptional packaging. The Air offers class-leading front legroom, with only the EQE Sedan surpassing it in rear legroom. When combined, the Air actually offers the same amount of leg space (83 inches) as the BMW i7 and more than the Mercedes EQS Sedan (82.1 inches). Lucid has maximized space to such an extent that the Air provides full-size passenger room in a mid-size package.

A Reckoning For Luxury Prices

Priced from $69,900, the Lucid Air Pure offers a lower cost than most of its competitors except for the BMW i5 eDrive40, which is just slightly less pricey. While the BMW has a lower initial price, it has less power, a shorter range, and fewer basic features. The same goes for the Mercedes EQE 350+ Sedan, which is pricier than the Lucid. Genesis, on the other hand, provides decent acceleration and features, albeit at a higher price. Tesla matches closely in range and features, even offering more standard gear than the Lucid, making it a strong competitor. For 2025, the Air Pure maintains its sub-$70k starting price and enhances other areas, widening the gap with Tesla. Moreover, Tesla falls short of being a real top-tier product, straddling the line between common and premium in many aspects. In contrast, the Lucid exudes genuine luxury.

BMW and Mercedes previously justified their higher prices by emphasizing refinement, quality, and engineering prowess. With the EV era, we witness newer companies emerging, offering superior refinement, comparable quality, and enhanced engineering capabilities. If traditional automakers intend to persist in charging premiums for their products, they must do more than just add leather and a softer suspension. Today’s consumers are exceptionally well-informed and won’t settle for overpriced products with limited advantages.