The fact that McLaren entered the world of SUVs was only a matter of time, since the profitability that this type of car demonstrates in luxury brands is difficult to ignore. Thus, after the success of cars such as the Lamborghini Urus, the Aston Martin DBX or the most recent Ferrari Purosangue, McLaren has confirmed that it is studying manufacturing its own SUVHowever, he still has doubts about how to present this model, since he wants to preserve his essence as a brand and that is not easy in an SUV.
Under the new management of McLaren commanded by Michael Leiters, the british manufacturer has new expansion plans where the launch of an SUV is no longer prohibited, Rather the complete opposite. Although McLaren has always been reluctant to have an SUV in its range, the need to make the brand’s activities profitable, and the potential to do so of this type of car, is too attractive a formula to continue denying it.
So things, from McLaren they already openly admit that they are evaluating the launch of their first SUVHowever, this project is still in a very early phase of study. There are several reasons, starting with the brand’s focus on improving the Artura in order to be able to market it as soon as possible, but also due to the need to define very well what type of SUV McLaren should manufacture.
Bearing in mind that this McLaren SUV will be an unprecedented car for the brand, Its development will require a new chassis, powertrain, design, etc. To this should be added the need to properly dimension the productive capacity, since we are talking about a car that could easily double McLaren’s current production now situated between 2,500 and 3,000 units per year.
In the current segment of luxury and high-performance SUVs, there is already a wide range of models and recipes, finding cars like the Bentley Bentayga, the Lamborghini Urus or the BMW XM that defend a more conventional approach, or cars like the Aston Martin DBX and especially the Ferrari Purosangue, which have opted for sportier formulas in terms of design and mechanical configuration. McLaren will have to make a decision, and although The logical thing would be to think of an SUV whose philosophy is close to that of the Purosangue in order to maintain that more radical and purist spirit. What we have seen so far in the Woking cars, we must not rule out any possibility.
Without going any further, we have the case of the Lotus Eletre, a car that has meant a revolution for a brand like Lotus, since it is an SUV, which will only be sold in a fully electric configuration and whose weight is well above what it it was customary in the house founded in Hethel.
Fountain: AutomotiveNews