McLaren says it won't offer an SUV, ever
#1
McLaren says it won't offer an SUV, ever
Despite the market pressures being put on premium automakers to offer SUVs, the McLaren brand will remain a holdout.
“I can easily answer that and say no,” said Mark Roberts, head of design operations for McLaren Automotive. “We really do deliver on the ultimate driving experience. For us, it means no compromise. An SUV doesn’t allow us to deliver on that. It’s not a no-compromise kind of vehicle.”
The comments were made during the inaugural luxury and supercar forum, a preview event held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in advance of the Canadian International AutoShow, which is open to the public starting today.
Three premium cars were featured: the McLaren Senna, the 500-unit production which has already sold out; the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, the brand’s first SUV; and the Devel Sixteen, a $1.6 million supercar produced by a Dubai start-up and being shown in North America for the first time at the Toronto auto show with its 12.3-liter V16.
Both Roberts and Alex Innes, head of coach build design for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said that their brands are moving in the direction on fully electric powertrains. Roberts indicated that a McLaren battery electric vehicle is already in testing and development but said “it’s going to be a while before we release it as a production car.”
“It’s clearly part of our future,” Innes added. “It’s more than likely that we will skip the hybrid step in between, so that’s quite a bold future that we’re setting out on.”
Roberts said that McLaren is preparing to release 18 new vehicles between now and 2025. Given that the brand’s current production output is 4,500 units per year — or 20 to 22 per day — this presents a clear need for an increase in capacity.
"For a small company like McLaren, it’s a big deal and a big challenge,” he said. “It’s putting a big demand on [McLaren’s production facility] to step up to demand and build more volume.”
One of those new vehicles will be a successor vehicle to the McLaren P1, which was a plug-in hybrid sports car with a highly limited production run of 375 units that were built between 2013 and 2015.
“I can’t tell you when, but it’s coming up very soon for us on our design schedule,” Roberts said.
Toronto is one of the highest-volume markets for McLaren in the world, demonstrated by the fact that Woodbridge, Ont.’s Pfaff McLaren, based just north of the city, was named the brand’s global retailer of the year for 2017. Roberts says he has been surprised by the strength of the premium market in Canada.
“This is my first time in Canada,” he said. “It’s been a real education for me for the last 48 hours here. I didn’t realize how obsessive you guys are about supercars.
“You can’t even drive your cars for six months of the year, and you’re our best customers. It’s pretty phenomenal.”
“I can easily answer that and say no,” said Mark Roberts, head of design operations for McLaren Automotive. “We really do deliver on the ultimate driving experience. For us, it means no compromise. An SUV doesn’t allow us to deliver on that. It’s not a no-compromise kind of vehicle.”
The comments were made during the inaugural luxury and supercar forum, a preview event held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in advance of the Canadian International AutoShow, which is open to the public starting today.
Three premium cars were featured: the McLaren Senna, the 500-unit production which has already sold out; the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, the brand’s first SUV; and the Devel Sixteen, a $1.6 million supercar produced by a Dubai start-up and being shown in North America for the first time at the Toronto auto show with its 12.3-liter V16.
Both Roberts and Alex Innes, head of coach build design for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said that their brands are moving in the direction on fully electric powertrains. Roberts indicated that a McLaren battery electric vehicle is already in testing and development but said “it’s going to be a while before we release it as a production car.”
“It’s clearly part of our future,” Innes added. “It’s more than likely that we will skip the hybrid step in between, so that’s quite a bold future that we’re setting out on.”
Roberts said that McLaren is preparing to release 18 new vehicles between now and 2025. Given that the brand’s current production output is 4,500 units per year — or 20 to 22 per day — this presents a clear need for an increase in capacity.
"For a small company like McLaren, it’s a big deal and a big challenge,” he said. “It’s putting a big demand on [McLaren’s production facility] to step up to demand and build more volume.”
One of those new vehicles will be a successor vehicle to the McLaren P1, which was a plug-in hybrid sports car with a highly limited production run of 375 units that were built between 2013 and 2015.
“I can’t tell you when, but it’s coming up very soon for us on our design schedule,” Roberts said.
Toronto is one of the highest-volume markets for McLaren in the world, demonstrated by the fact that Woodbridge, Ont.’s Pfaff McLaren, based just north of the city, was named the brand’s global retailer of the year for 2017. Roberts says he has been surprised by the strength of the premium market in Canada.
“This is my first time in Canada,” he said. “It’s been a real education for me for the last 48 hours here. I didn’t realize how obsessive you guys are about supercars.
“You can’t even drive your cars for six months of the year, and you’re our best customers. It’s pretty phenomenal.”
#2
Lexus Test Driver
mclaren needs to start winning f1 races again is what it needs to do
#3
Lead Lap
Mclaren is laser focused on their product planning, however a company like McLaren cant simply ignore the merits of having an SUV in their lineup. It`d probably be a money maker, but d&d costs would be higher then anything out there....Rolls, Bentley, Lambo, Porsche,Maserati all have modular platforms and parts bin at their disposal. McL has none of that, so it would be a clean sheet design, that`d would take quite some time to develop. All the models out now, were designed and ready to go for quite some time, this one would require a launch date quite in the future so apprehension
Side Note: They could have something in the works, and this could be a PR line until the day of launch like RR.
Side Note: They could have something in the works, and this could be a PR line until the day of launch like RR.
#4
Since the MP4-12C, McLaren has had an onslaught of models in just a few years. I think they're doing well. But this guy will sound sort of dumb if they do end up with an SUV. Let's see, Rolls, Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche, Maserati as coolsaber mentioned all have them now. Ferrari and Aston Martin are on the horizon. For what it's worth Bugatti did shelve their plans for an SUV, and I don't think Pagani or Koenigsegg will have them. Only time will tell.
#7
Lexus Test Driver
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#9
Pole Position
Are you a buyer? I'm sure a-many Ferrari and Lambo owners said the same thing, but both companies are thriving and people are still buying it.
Yes and that sports car company could be bankrupt soon.
Yes and that sports car company could be bankrupt soon.
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