McLaren hypercar debut confirms in 2024

KUALA LUMPUR: The successor of Mclaren P1 hypercar will be rolling out sometime in 2024, as confirmed by CEO Mike Flewitt in a recent interview with Autocar. The next model will be in its Ultimate Series after the open-top Elva and will also house the electrified drivetrain, which will either be a hybrid or fully electric one. 

He mentioned that the firm was preparing a hybrid drivetrain for the model because of the current limits in pure EVs. "Take the 765LT as an example. We know a lot of customers are going to take that to the track. If it were an EV, you would be looking at maybe 30 minutes of running time and then plugging it in until the next day. That’s not a persuasive position," said Flewitt.

If we talk about the upcoming electric vehicle hypercars, like Lotus Evija and Pininfarina Battista, their mechanical numbers are unbelievable, and Flewitt also admits that. But he insisted that McLaren wants the buyers to focus on more than just numbers. He stated, “We don’t build cars like that: pure 0-200 kmph or 0-300 kmph or even top speed. It’s not the car’s purpose, it’s a consequence of the attributes we’ve designed into it.”

As per the earlier conversations with the McLaren people, Autocar predicts that the “son of P1” will have a split-hybrid system, in which an electric motor will power the front wheels. At the same time, the rear axle will be driven by a regular petrol engine or hybrid V6 used by the new Sports Series. For the recharging and range issues, the biggest problem with a fully-electric P1 is the massive weight of a battery pack required for a range of up to 500 km.

The other details about the forthcoming hypercar are still a puzzle. But of course, it will carry a hefty price tag. 

Before the debut of P1 successor, McLaren Elva is the upcoming Ultimate Series model to look forward to. The automaker had planned to build 339 units of the speedster earlier but recently cut it down to 249. The deliveries are initially planned to begin in late 2020, which now seems delayed.

Also read: McLaren pays homage to its racing history, lends retro theme to Elva