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Founded in 2010, McLaren Automotive is one of the youngest names in the industry. For a decade, the Woking-based automaker has treated us to pretty wild supercars that include the plug-in hybrid P1, corner-carving Senna, barchetta-styled Elva, and three-seat Speedtail.
SUVs and EVs are missing from the lineup, and it’s easy to understand why. The British company was looking into electric vehicles when the Speedtail was still camouflaged, and obviously enough, the engineers and higher-ups did not like the additional weight and range anxiety brought by the battery pack.
As for utility vehicles, it was 2018 when the president of McLaren North America said no because “we're a profitable company." Little did he know back then, but Tony Joseph is currently working for an automaker that had to mortgage its HQ and historic car collection in order to keep things afloat.
Speaking to chief executive officer Mike Flewitt, motoring publication WhichCar found out that EVs and SUVs still aren’t on the table. “It is way too early to be stretching the brand into other areas, trying to give brand credibility to a product that clearly has nothing to do with our history.”
Flewitt believes that hybridization is the way forward in the coming decade, but there’s a catch to this additional complexity. “I’m honest enough to say we only hybridize cars to meet environmental legislation to stay compliant,” said the head honcho of McLaren Automotive, “but we managed to harness this technology to make a more exciting car with better attributes to it.”
Artura is the name of the company’s next-generation supercar, and it’s literally all-new down to the McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture. Expected with plug-in hybrid assistance rather than a conventional hybrid setup, the successor of the Sports Series will make do with six cylinders.
“The V8 will still be in the lineup,” assured Flewitt. “But we might have more than that. I’m not going to say anything beyond that.” Expected to offer about 20 miles or 30 kilometers of zero-emissions driving range on the WLTP cycle, the biggest mystery regarding the Artura boils down to rear- or all-wheel drive with the help of an electric motor driving the front wheels.
As for utility vehicles, it was 2018 when the president of McLaren North America said no because “we're a profitable company." Little did he know back then, but Tony Joseph is currently working for an automaker that had to mortgage its HQ and historic car collection in order to keep things afloat.
Speaking to chief executive officer Mike Flewitt, motoring publication WhichCar found out that EVs and SUVs still aren’t on the table. “It is way too early to be stretching the brand into other areas, trying to give brand credibility to a product that clearly has nothing to do with our history.”
Flewitt believes that hybridization is the way forward in the coming decade, but there’s a catch to this additional complexity. “I’m honest enough to say we only hybridize cars to meet environmental legislation to stay compliant,” said the head honcho of McLaren Automotive, “but we managed to harness this technology to make a more exciting car with better attributes to it.”
Artura is the name of the company’s next-generation supercar, and it’s literally all-new down to the McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture. Expected with plug-in hybrid assistance rather than a conventional hybrid setup, the successor of the Sports Series will make do with six cylinders.
“The V8 will still be in the lineup,” assured Flewitt. “But we might have more than that. I’m not going to say anything beyond that.” Expected to offer about 20 miles or 30 kilometers of zero-emissions driving range on the WLTP cycle, the biggest mystery regarding the Artura boils down to rear- or all-wheel drive with the help of an electric motor driving the front wheels.
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