In an unusually candid series of interviews and informal chats with various American automotive portals, McLaren has revealed almost every step of their market strategy, at least for the next few years. The entire round up of information comes as a welcome change of pace, as most manufacturers are extremely tight lipped about their future plans, and with justifiable reason.
So, without further ado, here’s what we can expect from the Woking, UK, based manufacturer in the coming years.
Hybrids. McLaren is pretty sure that hybrid is the way to go in the foreseeable future, if supercar-level performance is to be had without harming our natural resources considerably. Right now, the P1, the flagship, is the only hybrid in their lineup, but McLaren wants every car to go hybrid soon. The hybrid supercar space is currently occupied by just a few of the top-tier European marquees, Ferrari, Porsche, McLaren, and now BMW with the i8.
However, McLaren’s next car being readied for launch, the P13, isn’t a hybrid. In its current guise it features a detuned version of the 650S’ 3.8 litre twin turbo V8, capable of doing the 0-100 kmph dash in 4 seconds and a top speed of 298 kmph. Aimed squarely at the Porsche 911 Turbo S, the Audi R8 V10, and the Ferrari California, it will go on sale internationally in September next year with a price tag of $210,000 (in the US). The current working name, P13, will probably be changed by the time the car is unveiled for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show early next year.
It was already taken for granted that the P13 will be offered in both coupe and roadster trims, but McLaren also disclosed that a gran turismo version in the works. We never saw this coming, seeing as the P13 shares its carbon fibre tub and mid-mounted V8 with its existing siblings, giving it little scope for plonking in the rear luggage compartment that is a signature for the GT class. Yet, McLaren is highly confident about what they have planned; going so far as to state that it might even become the best-selling version of the P13. The finished GT will also apparently “look more like a Jaguar E-Type than the Jaguar F-Type does.”
In 2017, the P13 will be joined by the P15, a new hybrid supercar that will sit right above the current 650S, priced between $400,000 to $500,000. McLaren boss Mike Flewitt is emphatic that the P15 is not intended to be a replacement to the P1, and will find its own niche when launched.
Flewitt also stated that McLaren will have progressed to making 4000-6000 cars per annum, in the next 10 years. In one way or the other, all of the future models will be hybrids, even if it is in some basic form.
So there you have it, straight from the horse’s mouth, err… source. If you have been planning to buy a McLaren hybrid supercar in the near future, this ought to make your options much clearer now.
Source: Jalopnik, Car & Driver, Left Lane News