When the new hybrid McLaren arrives in 2021, it will be the first all-new series production car since the 2011 MP4-12C and will effectively replace the current Sport Series range. The kicker? It’s going to be a plug-in hybrid supercar with a V6 engine, but it won’t be any cheaper.
According to an Autocar report, the new V6 engine will still be built by Ricardo. It’s an electrified twin-turbocharged unit that will apparently offer “astonishing levels of performance and a uniquely intense driving experience.” Total system output is expected to be over 600 hp, with torque raised considerably more.
McLaren could deploy a two-motor setup, offering instant power delivery from standstill, as well as up to 30 km of pure electric range. The motors and battery pack will evidently add weight, but McLaren boss Mike Flewitt had preivously said the PHEV cars won’t be much heavier than non-hybrid models. Expect the new car to weigh around 1,500 kg, then.
The new PHEV supercar will also be the first McLaren model to be built on the new McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA), designed specifically to accommodate hybrid powertrains for next-generation McLarens. It’s built at the McLaren Composites Technology Centre in Sheffield, and combines a carbon-fibre central structure with aluminium subframes.
Flewitt said the new ultra-lightweight chassis is “every bit as revolutionary” as the MonoCell when it was introduced, but offers greater structural integrity and higher levels of quality. More importantly, it also grants a higher degree of flexibility when it comes to vehicle design.
As for the new plug-in hybrid supercar, Flewitt said “it is the distillation of everything we have done to date; all that we have learned and achieved. 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. We see this new McLaren as a true ‘next generation’ supercar and cannot wait to show it to customers.
The car is already in the final stages of development and testing, so the camouflaged car you see here should be close, if not the complete production model in disguise. Anyone excited for this?
GALLERY: McLaren V6 plug-in hybrid supercar spyshots
GALLERY: McLaren V6 plug-in hybrid supercar patent images
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