Not that long ago, McLaren Automotive signaled the impending arrival of a completely new entry-level supercar – the High-Performance Hybrid (HPH). We have already seen the new model fully covered in camouflage and heard about its all-new electrified V6 powertrain and MCLA (McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture) structure. Now, there’s also a proper name attached to the vehicle designed to make customers forget the Sports Series ever existed.
In a nutshell, the original teaser of the hybrid supercar was brimming with information. With so much to process - an all-new electrified V6 instead of the customary V8, all-new platform, the demise of the dearly beloved Sports Series - it’s understandable the brand didn’t reveal the name back then.
Maybe the reason was it’s something of a shocker on its own. It’s called Artura, a name that’s not very popular worldwide, save for places like the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, China, or Canada. Even there, it’s not like there’s a baby named Artura every month, let alone every day.
According to names.org, we’re dealing with the “80,912th most popular name of all time,” with even a big country like the U.S. only having six newborns registered with this name from 1880 to 2018! Well, McLaren is looking to make Artura more successful than before, whether or not it relates to the Arthurian legend. Or the fact that babynology.com thinks Artura is a very feminine name.
On the other hand, we can be sure that McLaren is indeed ready for a new chapter – Artura further emphasizes the company’s move away from alphanumerical names in its model lineup. And it’s a fitting opposite to the masculine Senna, dare we say.
Anyway, there’s little more information to be shared on the McLaren Artura HPH. We do know the “all-new compact twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine, designed to combine with an electric motor” will allow the new supercar to run in a dedicated EV mode for emissions-free “urban journeys.”
Additionally, the company has also promised the hybrid system’s higher mass has been “been largely offset by the application of weight-saving technologies throughout the chassis, body and powertrain.” Finally, McLaren has also revealed the Artura remains on course to hit dealerships during the first half of next year.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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