Photo: BMW
Remember the rumor launched a while back that BMW and McLaren would be working on a joint supercar once again? Remember how we told you to take it with an enormous grain of salt and none of it may come true? Well, the time has come to prove that we were right.
BMW M Boss, Frank van Meel had an honest discussion with the guys from Motoring Australia and one of the topics also covered the ridiculous claim formed by CAR Magazine. Upon hearing about it, the Motorsport division’s chief said that he heard absolutely nothing of the sort, not from the new CEO or from the development manager.
“I haven’t had a phone call, Harald Krüger [BMW’s CEO] hasn’t had a phone call and Klaus Fröhlich [BMW’s Research and Development director] hasn’t had a phone call,” he said during the interview. “We admire McLaren and we have obviously worked with them in the past, but there is nothing on the agenda,” van Meel insisted.
Furthermore, nobody made such a ridiculous plan so far, no matter how enticing or possible it may sound right now. Van Meel also claims that if BMW wants to build a supercar, it wouldn’t need the help of McLaren, especially in the areas mentioned in the British magazine’s article, as we pointed out.
After all, the Germans are the leaders in CFRP production these days thanks to their investment in the Moses Lake plant that manufactures only the lightweight material.
That being said, on the engine front no help would be needed either and the same story applies to the hybrid and battery tech, McLaren having nothing special to offer. As for the production of a carbon fiber body shared with the Brits’ next supercar, it wouldn’t stand.
On top of that, the BMW official provided some unexpected light into what the company plans for the future, saying that the current halo car of the Germans, the i8, will remain at the top of the food chain for its entire lifespan. That means, we won’t get to see a better hybrid on the road earlier than 2020.
“I haven’t had a phone call, Harald Krüger [BMW’s CEO] hasn’t had a phone call and Klaus Fröhlich [BMW’s Research and Development director] hasn’t had a phone call,” he said during the interview. “We admire McLaren and we have obviously worked with them in the past, but there is nothing on the agenda,” van Meel insisted.
Furthermore, nobody made such a ridiculous plan so far, no matter how enticing or possible it may sound right now. Van Meel also claims that if BMW wants to build a supercar, it wouldn’t need the help of McLaren, especially in the areas mentioned in the British magazine’s article, as we pointed out.
After all, the Germans are the leaders in CFRP production these days thanks to their investment in the Moses Lake plant that manufactures only the lightweight material.
That being said, on the engine front no help would be needed either and the same story applies to the hybrid and battery tech, McLaren having nothing special to offer. As for the production of a carbon fiber body shared with the Brits’ next supercar, it wouldn’t stand.
On top of that, the BMW official provided some unexpected light into what the company plans for the future, saying that the current halo car of the Germans, the i8, will remain at the top of the food chain for its entire lifespan. That means, we won’t get to see a better hybrid on the road earlier than 2020.
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