Lucid Motors Air release date, specs, price news: Luxury EV with 400-mile range to rival Tesla Model S

Lucid Motors, a California-based electric company, has finally unveiled its luxury electric vehicle (EV) named Air that is touted to be a Tesla Model S rival.

The EV has been in development since 2014 headed by chief technology officer Peter Rawlinson who was a lead engineer for the Tesla Model S and chief designer Derek Jenkins, former design director at Mazda North America. A cloaked version of the car previously made an appearance at the Los Angeles Auto Show last November.

"Lucid will be a new kind of luxury experience. A growing community of tech-savvy consumers is hungry for a car like this," Jenkins told a group of reporters at a press event earlier this week (via USA Today).

Lucid Motors partnered with Samsung SDI for the Air's 100 kWh lithium-ion battery, which is the largest to be featured in a car. The company will also offer a 130 kWh variant later on. The battery translates to an impressive range of 400 miles per charge. The Air EV is also powered by twin electric motors that deliver 600 horsepower. When combined, the luxury EV is capable of producing up to 1,000 horsepower. It can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour (mph) in just 2.5 seconds.

According to the company, the Air's powertrain with an integrated transmission and suspension is able to deliver "world-class performance in acceleration, driving range and efficiency."

The Air also gains tons of interior space due to the absence of the traditional engine. The cabin features executive-style seats similar to the ones featured on first-class jets. The seats also recline up to 55 degrees. Without noise from the engine, the 29-speaker audio system with noise cancellation also delivers a unique acoustic experience.

Lucid Motors will also equip the Air with autonomous driving technology and active safety systems that reduce the risk for accidents. Some features like short and long range radar, cameras and Lidar will be available at launch while the others will become available via ongoing software updates.

"In the end though, we're not going out there to compete with Tesla, but rather to compete with all the top luxury automakers, like Audi and Mercedes-Benz. We think there's room for all of us," Zak Edson, head of marketing, said at the event.

The Lucid Motors Air is now available to pre-order. A deposit of $2,500 will allow consumers to own a version of the vehicle that is priced at $100,000 and delivers 300 miles per charge. Meanwhile, a $25,500 deposit guarantees a customer one of the 255 examples of the Launch Edition that is priced at $160,000. Eventually, Lucid Motors plans to offer a mass-production vehicle valued at around $65,000.

Production on the Air EV is expected to start in late 2018 with deliveries to begin soon after. It will be available in the United States and Canada.