McLaren can never build an SUV! But what if…

McLaren barely hit the table a few years ago. Furious, the sports car maker told the interviewer that he would never, EVER build an SUV. But yes, rules go overboard when there’s money to be made…

McLaren quail. During the corona, the British company even balanced on the brink of bankruptcy. Things are still not going well in Woking, where McLaren is, but luckily there is some air. However, the strategy must change. Super sports cars alone won’t get you there, the company understands. You need an SUV for that.

McLaren’s new director has SUV experience

So it will be, even though McLaren roared years ago that it wouldn’t come to that. The change is due to the new director Michael Leiters. Not against crossovers like his predecessor Mike Flewitt. Leiters comes from Porsche and Ferrari, where he was responsible for the Macan, Cayenne and the new Ferrari Purosangue.

The pain! The hurricane floats the multi-million dollar McLaren P1

An SUV that weighs less than the competition

If McLaren wants to survive, there must be an SUV in the model line, Leiters said Automobile Magazine. Customers are asking for a sports car that the family can also travel in. But the SUV must remain true to McLaren’s values. So the Leiters want the car to weigh less than the competition, due to the more elegant use of carbon fiber.

The first electric car from a British sports brand

The P1, Speedtail and Artura use hybrid technology. The upcoming SUV will be the brand’s first fully electric car. And perhaps the first four-wheel drive McLaren. In the super-SUV segment, McLaren unfortunately comes too late. If all goes well, the new model won’t be on the market until 2026.

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Production can be doubled

McLaren has to find a partner to build the SUV, because the factory in Woking has a capacity of only 6,000 sports cars a year. Crossover design can more than double brand productivity. At least that’s what happened to Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini when they launched the SUV.