The Lucid Air Sapphire, the high-performance flagship sedan from U.S. electric vehicle maker Lucid, has been named the 2026 German Performance Car of the Year at the annual German Car of the Year (GCOTY) Awards, marking a major milestone for the California-based brand as it continues to expand in Europe’s luxury EV segment.
Powered by a tri-motor powertrain producing 1,234 horsepower, the Air Sapphire can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in under two seconds and reach a top speed of 330 km/h. Despite its supercar-level performance, the sedan maintains a WLTP-rated range of 694 kilometers and energy consumption of 19.1 kWh per 100 km.
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“This award reinforces our belief that the Air Sapphire is the most well-rounded and versatile high-performance EV,” said Lawrence Hamilton, Lucid’s European president. Eric Bach, senior vice president of product and chief engineer, added that the vehicle “reaches an entirely new level of performance while retaining the comfort and efficiency of the Air lineup.”
The GCOTY Awards are judged by a panel of 30 automotive journalists who evaluate vehicles across categories such as innovation, design, and driving pleasure. “By winning the ‘Performance’ segment, the Lucid Air Sapphire proves it meets the highest expectations of experts in Germany’s demanding autobahn market,” said Jens Meiners, co-founder of GCOTY.
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The accolade comes as Lucid continues to face modest sales figures in Europe, where deliveries of the Air sedan remain limited despite strong performance in the U.S. The Air Sapphire, priced at around €250,000 (US$290,000), targets the continent’s luxury performance market as the company prepares to launch its three-row Gravity SUV in Europe in early 2026.