After unleashing the Speedtail hybrid hyper-GT with a 250-mph top end speed, McLaren is already shifting into its next generation of hybrid supercars. The British carmaker deemed it necessary to underpin these next-gen supercars with an all-new platform, so it engineered one. Now, McLaren is officially introducing its all-new lightweight vehicle architecture.
Engineered For Hybrid Powertrains
McLaren made quite a bang around a decade ago with its irresistible race-derived 12C supercar, which is known not only for its aerodynamic design and 592-hp twin-turbocharged V8 engine but also for the carbon fiber composite structure that underpins it – the MonoCell.
The carmaker needs a new lightweight architecture that can accommodate new hybrid powertrains. A prototype of this architecture was actually unveiled in 2019, and after further developments, the final platform was finally revealed to the public. Engineered, developed and built in-house at its McLaren Composites Technology Centre (MCTC) in the Sheffield region, this new architecture is flexible, lean and strong, thus helping enhance safety of the supercars sitting on it.
Shifting To All-Electric McLarens
The first of the next-gen hybrid supercars underpinned by this new architecture is already in the pipeline, and McLaren plans to launch this new speed-hungry offering in 2021. This new supercar will benefit from a number of groundbreaking technologies at McLaren, including its lightweight composites, cutting-edge battery technology as well as high-performance hybrid propulsion systems.
According to Mike Flewitt, Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Automotive, the all-new lightweight vehicle architecture will allow McLaren to build all-electric supercars. The carmaker sees the need to marry light-weight and electrification to build not just better performing vehicles, but also more efficient ones.
Next-Gen Supercar By 2021
Even after a busy year in 2019 with the 600LT Spider and GT launches, and 620R and Elva unveiling, McLaren doesn't intend on hitting the brakes anytime soon. With the first of its next-gen supercars coming up in 2021, who's going to complain?
Source: McLaren