In a series of firsts, McLaren will debut its first series-production hybrid powertrain in a new supercar that’ll also debut the new McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture.
The new hybrid supercar will arrive shortly after McLaren ends production of its V8-powered Sports Series models.
Referred to only as a High-Performance Hybrid supercar, the new model line will be introduced in the first half of 2021 and will slot in between the GT and the 720S in the McLaren range.
The hybrid supercar will be powered by an all-new V6 petrol engine and will offer a pure EV drive mode with “medium-range” capability.
The new MCLA platform, developed and produced in the McLaren Composites Technology Centre in Sheffield, will underpin other hybrid supercars “over the coming years”.
It’s been designed from the ground up to accommodate batteries and hybrid powertrains, with an emphasis on cutting excess weight and improve performance and efficiency.
“This is a new kind of McLaren for a new era, an extraordinary drivers’ car that offers blistering performance as well as an all-electric range capable of covering most urban journeys,” said McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt.
In a changing of the guard, McLaren is saying goodbye to its Sports Series with a limited-run 620R model this year.
That will spell the end of the 540C, 570S, 570GT and 600LT, leaving the 720S, 765LT, Elva and GT as the only V8-powered McLarens.
McLaren has offered hybrid powertrains before but only in the extremely low-volume P1 and Speedtail, both of which employed twin-turbocharged V8 engines.
Rivals are electrifying themselves, too. Maserati will introduce an electric version of its new MC20 supercar promising a 0-100km/h time of 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 310km/h, while the new plug-in hybrid Ferrari SF90 Stradale mates a twin-turbocharged V8 engine with three electric motors for a total system output of 735kW of power and 800Nm of torque.
