McLaren confirms its first SUV and invests €575 million in expansion
McLaren is finally doing what Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin did long ago: building an SUV. The British manufacturer has confirmed development of its first sporting SUV as part of a £500 million, or approximately €575 million, investment programme. The car will have four doors, two rows of seats, a hybrid powertrain and McLaren’s own platform.
McLaren wants to win customers from the Urus and DBX
Michael Straughan, McLaren’s head of operations, told Auto Express that the new model is being developed as a direct rival to the Lamborghini Urus and Aston Martin DBX. That represents a major change from the current model range: it will be McLaren’s first true four-door car with two rows of seats.
Technical details have yet to be finalised, but one thing is certain. McLaren does not intend to take another manufacturer’s SUV platform and put its own badge on it. According to Straughan, the company is developing the car on its own architecture and is not seeking a partner for the platform.
McLaren is considering extensive use of carbon fibre in the body structure, but for such a large vehicle, production costs and repairability will be decisive. If a carbon-fibre solution does not prove viable, aluminium is the alternative.
It will not be an electric car, for now
McLaren’s first SUV will have a hybrid powertrain. As part of the investment programme, the company is also developing two new engines and gearboxes, and will manufacture more of its powertrains in-house than before.
A fully electric McLaren is not planned in the near future. Company chief Nick Collins has attributed this to low customer demand, and McLaren wants to retain the ability to use different powertrains.
Power output has not yet been disclosed. However, McLaren will have to compete with cars whose figures are at supercar level. The Lamborghini Urus SE produces 588 kW and the Aston Martin DBX S 535 kW. There is therefore no reason to expect a modest family car from McLaren.
A new factory will help McLaren grow
With the £500 million investment, McLaren will expand its Woking production centre and its South Yorkshire composites factory, while building a new assembly plant in the UK. The programme is expected to create at least 1,000 new jobs by 2032, with up to a further 3,000 potentially added in the supply chain.
The SUV is economically central to this plan. The Ferrari Purosangue, Lamborghini Urus and Aston Martin DBX have shown that a higher-riding model allows a supercar brand to reach customers for whom a two-seat sports car cannot be their only daily vehicle.
McLaren is entering this segment late, but at least it is not taking the easier route. Its own platform, its own hybrid powertrain and a potential carbon-fibre structure provide an opportunity to build something more than yet another two-tonne luxury SUV.
Mass will be McLaren’s biggest problem. Exceeding the power figures of the Urus or DBX is not particularly difficult technically today. Achieving handling worthy of the McLaren name in a large, heavy four-door car is an entirely different task.
