Space is the new frontier for battery-electric vehicles. Cabin space that is.
Without ICE transmission tunnels contorting cabin floors and engine bays hogging forward space, designers are transforming BEV cockpits by taking advantage of perfectly flat floors and shifting former ICE engine-bay real estate into the forward cabin. They also are strategically sculpting battery packs beneath the floor to create even more room for uncompromising interior luxury.
No automaker is doing it better than Lucid Motors, and this achievement wins the Lucid Air a 2022 Wards 10 Best Interiors & UX trophy.
Reimagining space to create uncompromising luxury is, in fact, one of Lucid Motors’ founding principles and is called the Lucid Space Concept. It involves not only the general ideas mentioned above, but also more specific technologies, such as the use of miniaturized drive motors to create more interior space. The Lucid Air Dream Edition we evaluate offers the extravagant cabin space of a long-wheelbase luxury saloon in a smaller, faster and more-nimble car. Rear-seat leg room is especially generous for a sedan with the Lucid Air’s external dimensions.
The glass roof sweeping over the cockpit magnifies the expansiveness. Enter the car on a clear night, crank up the Dolby Surreal Sound immersive audio system with Johann Strauss’s Blue Danube Waltz, gaze up at the stars through the glass roof and you can imagine yourself not sitting in a mere car, but soaring in high orbit above the earth in a space pod from “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
When it comes to actual driving back on earth, the Lucid Air is all business, featuring two primary touch-control displays: A 34-in. (864 mm) super high-resolution curved instrument display the automaker calls the Glass Cockpit and the Pilot Panel, a centrally located lower console display that retracts to reveal storage space.
There is a lot of screen acreage up front, but the interfaces are thoughtfully designed and not distracting. Some information can flow from one screen to another to limit distraction even more.
Amazon Alexa voice control is built-in.
Overall, the cabin design language has a timeless mid-century modern vibe, a trend we’re seeing in several new vehicles this year.
“It’s an understated luxury look,” says judge Dave Zoia. “There are Interesting lines on the door inners and clever use of color in the way the front seats are dark and rear seats light.”
The colors, materials and surfaces are natural-looking, with no shiny chrome. It’s what Lucid designers call a “post luxury” design that’s aimed at a new type of buyer focused more on sustainability and emotional engagement than traditional opulence.
Judge Christie Schweinsberg calls out the stunning – and sustainable – alpaca/polyester blend fabric, light gray eucalyptus wood trim and generous use of luxurious suede-like microfiber fabric made partially from recycled plastic water bottles.
The futuristic steering wheel design and the usability of its embedded controls also get high marks. Massaging seats with multiple settings earn rave reviews from the whole staff.
The top-of-the-line Dream Edition version of the Lucid Air we tested has a price appropriate for a premium luxury brand: $169,000, not including a $1,500 destination fee. It is half the price of some other ultra-premium benchmarks we’ve had on our list from Bentley and Rolls Royce.
“It’s expensive but cutting edge in ways that most automakers are just starting to understand,” says judge Bob Gritzinger. “The interior design alone merits six figures in the BEV luxury car segment.”
We always ask the question: “Does the interior and UX sell the car?” The answer is yes. Lucid has created a new gold standard for sustainable and uncompromising interior luxury. Thrilling performance and the longest-range battery option in the marketplace are just icing on the cake.
