McLaren SUV confirmed to take on Ferrari Purosangue, Lamborghini Urus
UK supercar specialist McLaren has locked in plans to launch its first SUV, alongside the announcement of a $944 million investment in its operations.
McLaren’s days of exclusively producing two-door sports cars and supercars are about to be over, with an SUV confirmed to be joining the British brand’s lineup in the near future.
Overnight, McLaren announced an investment program of £500 million (A$944 million) towards its UK manufacturing facilities, which includes its engineering and overall operations, the majority of which are based at its headquarters in Woking.
Spearheading this charge will be the launch of a “performance SUV”, set to be built at a “new vehicle assembly facility planned in the UK”, though details beyond that were not given.
Currently McLaren produces approximately 2000 cars a year, though if the likes of the Lamborghini Urus are anything to go by, this output could double with the addition of an SUV to its product portfolio.
McLaren is yet to provide more information about the SUV, however it has said that “for the first time in its history, McLaren Automotive’s future powertrains will be designed and built in-house, starting with two new engines and transmissions.”
Up until now, McLaren has outsourced the production of its V6 and V8 engines in its current model lineup to Ricardo, while the F1 supercar of the 1990s famously used a BMW V12 engine.
In November last year, Automotive News reported McLaren dealers had been shown plans to launch an SUV by 2028, powered by a V8 engine with hybrid assistance.
Previous reports had pointed to the McLaren SUV being an EV, however demand for battery-powered luxury vehicles has slipped in recent years, leading to many rival brands scaling back their future plans.
Jordan Mulach
According to McLaren, the £500 million (A$944 million) investment will lead to an expansion of its operations at the McLaren Production Centre in Woking, as well as the McLaren Composites Technology Centre, which is based in South Yorkshire and specialises in carbon-fibre manufacturing and research.
Overall, it expects these upcoming investments to create “at least 1000 new direct and indirect jobs across McLaren's UK operations by 2032, while safeguarding existing roles”, while creating up to 3000 extra jobs across the supply chain.
“Over the past 20 months, L’IMAD has worked closely with McLaren Automotive’s management team, supporting the business in sharpening its strategic direction and positioning itself for long-term growth,” said Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of McLaren shareholder L’IMAD, Jassem Al Zaabi.
“This investment reflects our confidence in its potential and our commitment to backing the business through its next chapter, building on the heritage, engineering excellence, and distinctive brand that has defined McLaren for more than six decades."
As reported earlier this week, McLaren dealers were shown a roadmap of future product plans recently, which included the announcement of the company’s new line of supercars, powered by V6 plug-in hybrid powertrains.
Last year, McLaren W1 Project Manager Heather Fitch told Torquecafe that the flagship hypercar's new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 and hybrid system could be used in future models, though without detailing what cars.
“We’ve previously confirmed that the new V8 will certainly be looked to be powering some of our future vehicles” Fitch told Torquecafe.
"And hybrids as well, we see a continued role for hybrid system setups for years to come. So there will be opportunities into the future for components like this."
