McLaren P1 replacement to be all-electric ~ station of gear

McLaren has started planning for the next generation of the P1 hypercar with an electric powertrain possible

2016-03-01 15:40

Plans for an all-electric replacement for the McLaren P1 are underway as part of a £1bn investment in research and development. McLaren’s ‘Track22’ business plan will lead to the development of 15 all-new cars – including the launch of an ‘LT’ sub-brand, according to McLaren boss Mike Flewitt speaking at the Geneva Motor Show.

The plan will also see the development of new powertrains, including hybrid models which he says will power some 50% of new McLarens in the future. Flewitt also confirmed work is underway to develop an all-electric powertrain to evaluate its use in a “future generation of an Ultimate Series car”, giving rise to suggestions that the next-generation P1 could be entirely electric.

• Geneva Motor Show 2016: news

A significant part of the investment will contribute to the development of new powertrains. By 2022, half of all new McLarens sold will have a hybrid powertrain, although the existing M838T engine which features in all of McLaren’s current models will live on.

McLaren LT sub-brand to grow with more track-focused models

McLaren bosses point to the success of the 675LT and 675LT Spider, models which sold out in a matter of weeks, to justify the development of a McLaren LT sub-brand. As with the 675LT, further LT models will have more track focus than other cars in McLaren’s Super Series, such as the 650S.

McLaren has committed to investing and industry-leading 20-25 per cent of turnover into R&D, which will lead the self-funded firm to double in size over the next six years.

Mike Flewitt, Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Automotive commented: ‘Since its inception, McLaren Automotive has launched world-class products and this has been made possible by continuous investment in our future. The launch of our new six-year Business Plan, named Track22 because I believe that we are on track to a very exciting and successful future, scopes our future investments and development strategy up until 2022.

McLaren 570S first UK drive - front tracking

“This will see us launch 15 all-new cars or derivatives within our existing Sports Series, Super Series and Ultimate Series families. We will also develop an all-new engine architecture that will debut towards the end of the Business Plan period.

“Our next hybrid vehicle will launch towards the latter part of our six year plan, and we will see at least 50 percent featuring hybrid technology by 2022. Hybridisation has obvious CO2 and fuel consumption advantages but for us, it is all about delivering the performance and enjoyment of a McLaren. But we won’t stop there. Our engineers have even started work on a one-off prototype to evaluate the possible benefits of a fully-electric powertrain in an Ultimate Series car; such is the pace of development.”

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Stuart Milne

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