It’s been just over a month since the Lucid Air was launched. Expected to go head-to-head against the Tesla Model S, the Air came with features and specs that could put the former to shame. However, these specs were offered on the top trims and they were priced well over Model S’ trims (barring the Tri-motor Plaid model).

Although it seemed impressive, the biggest question was how would the base trim be spec’d considering it is more in line with the pricing of Tesla’s flagship product. While the details were not revealed back at the time of the Air's official unveil, Lucid has finally thrown some light on what to expect from this sub-$80,000 model. Will the potential Model S buyers make a switch to the Lucid Air?

Is The Base Air Trim Worth Opting For?

Just to be clear, the base model is called “Air”. The Lucid Air will be powered by a single motor that makes 480 horses. It can also be had with a dual-motor setup and an all-wheel-drive configuration. The Air features a 900+ ultra-high voltage electrical architecture with DC fast charging capability.

The automaker hasn’t explicitly mentioned the exterior features, the tire and wheel sizes, etc., but it did mention a few things on the inside that you can expect from the cheapest model. For starters, the cabin will be dressed in PurLuxe animal-free interior trim in the Mojave theme. The 34-inch Glass Cockpit curved floating display will be present in here as well.

Furthermore, Lucid’s “DreamDrive” advanced driver-assistance systems will also be available. It is a comprehensive system that offers 32 sensors in total, including sensors for covering vision, radar, and ultrasonics. It also boasts of a high-res LiDAR system. For now, the Lucid Air comes with Level 2 and Level 3 driver assistance technologies. We are yet to hear about the performance figures for this trim. There is no mention of the Glass Canopy Roof as well on this trim, which is actually quite a bummer and should’ve been standard on all the trims.

How Much Does It Cost?

Now the company has announced that the base trim is priced at $77,400. Include the $7,500 federal tax credit and the price effectively comes down to $69,900. This slots it in between the two Model S trims, the Long Range Plus and Performance, which are priced at $66,490 and $86,490, respectively. However, the Model S isn’t eligible for federal tax credits.

More About The Lucid Air

The Lucid Air is actually packed with an insane amount of specs and features and it looks very impressive on paper. It isn’t bang-for-the-buck by any means, but the features sure are exciting. Here are a few salient features and specs about the Air:

-* Based on the skateboard-style platform called LEAP

-* 113 kWh battery pack

-* Range varies from 406 miles to 517 miles depending on the trim and wheel design

-* Can add up to 20 miles of range per minute on DC Fast Charging network

-* Top Dream Edition trim makes 1,080 horses

-* 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds and a top speed of 168 mph

-* Grand Touring trims churns out 800 ponies

-* 0-60 mph in three seconds and a top speed of 168 mph

-* Touring trim produces 620 horsepower

-* 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph

-* Micro Lens Array headlight system

-* Drag co-efficient of just 0.21

-* Canopy Glass Roof for an open-air kind of experience

-* A 9.9 cubic-feet frunk

-* Total cargo space of 26.1 cubic-feet

-* 34-inch curved ‘Glass Cockpit’ 5K screen

-* Built-in Alexa experience

-* Starts at $77,400, tops out at $169,000

Final Thoughts

The Air can be reserved by paying an amount of $300. The automaker says that customers who reserve now will receive three years of complimentary charging at Electrify America sites. Deliveries for the first Lucid Air models begins in early 2021. If you were in the market for a premium electric sedan, would you choose the Lucid Air or the Tesla Model S? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.