Tesla Model S Plaid’s drag-strip time beaten by rival electric sedan

The Lucid Air Sapphire electric car has become the fastest sedan to complete the industry-standard “quarter-mile” – or 402 metre – drag strip run, beating its main rival, the Tesla Model S Plaid.

US electric-car start-up Lucid Motors claims it has beaten the world’s quickest production sedan to cover the 402-metre “quarter-mile” drag-strip run – the Tesla Model S Plaid – with help from the man once known as The Stig on the Top Gear TV show.

The Lucid Air Sapphire is a large luxury sedan of a similar size to a Mercedes-Benz E-Class or BMW 5 Series – but is powered by three electric motors producing 920kW, equivalent to eight Toyota Corollas, or three of the last Holden Commodore SS V8 sedans.

On social media platform X – formerly Twitter – Lucid uploaded a video claimed to show the Air Sapphire completing the industry-standard “quarter-mile” (or 402 metres) run in 8.989 seconds, crossing the finish line at almost 250km/h (155mph).

A new shade of speed. Witness @BenCollinsStig scorching sub-9 second quarter-mile at #SonomaRaceway in the fully-electric, 1,234-hp #LucidAir Sapphire. #BlueMeansGo pic.twitter.com/xVu7kmkXbJ

— Lucid Motors (@LucidMotors) October 20, 2023

It is 0.241 seconds quicker than the 9.23-second run of the Tesla Model S Plaid – and more than two-tenths faster than the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport, the fastest petrol-powered, factory-fresh road car in the world.

However the Lucid Air Sapphire misses out on claiming the record for the fastest-accelerating production car of any kind across 402 metres, which is currently held by the Rimac Nevera at 8.58 seconds.

The Lucid was driven by Ben Collins, who served as The Stig on the UK car show Top Gear between 2003 and 2010.

Production of the standard Lucid Air began in late 2021, ahead of the flagship Sapphire performance grade in September 2023 – after it was revealed in August 2022.

Powered by three electric motors, the Lucid Air Sapphire can produce 920kW and almost 1940Nm – a sizeable increase on the Tesla Model S Plaid’s claimed 760kW/1420Nm outputs.

There is a price to pay for the Lucid Air’s impressive performance though, with the Sapphire listed from $US249,000 ($AU395,000) – almost three-times more than the $US89,990 ($AU142,600) Tesla Model S Plaid.

Lucid is also struggling to establish itself as a player in the booming US electric-car market, as it faces problems ramping up production of the Air.

As reported last week, business publication Bloomberg estimates Lucid is losing approximately $US338,000 ($AU536,500) on every Air it makes, while the company has also faced repeated production setbacks which have led to some of its financial backers rescinding their support.

Lucid has previously announced its intention to launch in right-hand-drive markets such as Australia and the UK, though not before 2025.

Meantime, the Tesla Model S Plaid is also not expected to become available in Australia, as the facelifted electric car – and its Model X SUV sibling – are not built in right-hand drive.

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