McLaren launches an SUV as its first EV

The fact that McLaren’s SUV will also have a chassis (at least largely) made of carbon fiber is a condition to be able to keep up with the rest of the McLaren line-up, Leiters believes. That’s why he put McLaren’s Composite Technology Centre, responsible for the development of the brand’s carbon fiber monocoques, to work. Whether that also means that McLaren’s SUV will have an all-carbon fiber construction, remains to be seen. It would therefore be the first SUV to have that. In any case, the brand is investigating the possibilities for larger carbon fiber chassis.

No electric supercars yet

Leiters confirms to Car not only the arrival of a McLaren SUV, but also that it will be a fully electric car. With this, it takes the same path as Lotus, which also made its first EV from its first SUV. However, with the current energy density of batteries, the McLaren CEO does not believe that BEV technology is yet ripe for supercars. According to him, batteries are simply too heavy for that. The prospect of an electric SUV from the brand says nothing about the possible arrival of an electric sports car for the time being.

The McLaren Artura is the brand’s first series production car with an electrified (hybrid) powertrain.

Making a profit

In the interview, Leiters also criticized the course of the brand a number of times. He thinks that the cars are too similar, that the naming is unclear and that the results leave something to be desired. The SUV offers a chance to try out new design elements, and so will probably not – like the Artura – get a name with separate numbers and letters. The car must ensure that McLaren becomes a profitable brand. New-fangled CEO Leiters, as he was involved in both the Porsche Cayenne and the Ferrari Purosangue, knows better than anyone that this is possible.

Although the brand has now started developing its electric SUV, Car magazine reports in response to the interview that we should certainly not expect the car before 2026.