McLaren is formally engaged on “a automotive for household use”. In a current interview with UK outlet Automotive, McLaren Automotive’s new CEO Michael Leiters confirmed the model was seeking to develop its portfolio into new areas because it goals to generate extra income. Leiters additionally strongly hinted that McLaren’s ‘household automotive’ could be absolutely electrical.

The CEO said that, with immediately’s lithium-ion batteries, he would not need to make a completely electrical supercar as it might weigh an excessive amount of and would not deal with in addition to an ICE or hybrid McLaren. Nevertheless, an electrical SUV or “limousine” could be okay as dealing with wouldn’t be as vital and you may make it extraordinarily highly effective.

“I may [do it] but it surely’s not a convincing product as a result of weight is just too excessive. [Impressive] longitudinal acceleration with battery automobiles isn’t an issue: you may have that in a limousine or an SUV with 1000kw [of power].”

Moreover, Leiters emphasised the significance of software program in an EV. 

“With an EV, it’s much more vital to have a linked automotive, to have good management methods to make use of all of the potential you’ve with electrical motors.” 

Though Leiters by no means explicitly confirmed an SUV was within the works, it is protected to imagine that is what he meant by ”a automotive for household use”. In any case, earlier than becoming a member of McLaren Leiters labored for Ferrari – the place his final mission was the Purosangue. And earlier than Ferrari, Leiters was a mission supervisor at Porsche the place he helped with the event of the Cayenne.

From a monetary perspective, a ‘Tremendous SUV’ makes lots of sense for McLaren. Different supercar manufacturers have had nice success launching SUVs. For instance, the Lamborghini Urus lately turned the Italian model’s best-selling mannequin of all time with 20,000 models offered since 2018. That is a remarkably spectacular determine when you think about the Urus begins at over $230,000. Equally, virtually half of all Aston Martins offered final yr had been DBXs. Given McLaren’s ongoing monetary struggles, making an SUV would undoubtedly be a good move.