McLaren’s first series production hybrid supercar has a name: Artura.
Previously referred to as the High-Performance Hybrid, the Artura will go on sale globally in the first half of 2021.
Local launch timings have yet to be confirmed.
It’ll debut the new McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA), developed and manufactured at the McLaren Composites Technology Centre in Sheffield.
“Every element of the Artura is all-new – from the platform architecture and every part of the High-Performance Hybrid powertrain, to the exterior body, interior and cutting-edge driver interface – but it draws on decades of McLaren experience in pioneering super-lightweight race and road car technologies to bring all of our expertise in electrification to the supercar class,” said McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt.
MCLA, designed from the ground up to accommodate hybrid powertrains, will underpin other hybrid supercars “over the coming years”.
The hybrid supercar will be powered by an all-new twin-turbocharged petrol V6 engine and will offer a pure EV drive mode suitable for “everyday emission-free urban journeys”.
McLaren says the additional weight of the hybrid system has been largely offset through the application of weight-saving technologies in the chassis and powertrain, while the new twin-turbocharged V6 and electric motor offer comparable performance to outgoing V8-powered models but with superior torque at low engine speeds.
As for the meaning of the name, a McLaren spokesperson told Automotive News it’s a newly created name that “represents the art of design and future technology”, though scores of women throughout the world named Artura will be surprised to hear that.
The Artura has been spied testing with little in the way of camouflage, revealing styling that’s an evolution of McLaren’s current generation design language with side detailing similar to the 570S and tail lights reminiscent of the GT’s.
It’ll arrive shortly after McLaren ends production of its V8-powered Sports Series models as it transitions to hybrid V6s. Next year, the V8 McLaren range will consist only of the 720S, 765LT, Elva and GT.
McLaren has offered hybrid powertrains before but only in the extremely low-volume P1 and Speedtail, both of which employed twin-turbocharged V8 engines.
