McLaren to relent and build an SUV

McLaren is working on an SUV, making it one of the last mainstream sports car manufacturers to make the move. And it will most likely be an all-electric car.

While its former CEO Mike Flewitt was dead set against the idea of an SUV, his replacement Michael Leiters wants to launch one as part of a turnaround strategy for the British firm.

McLaren is best known for its lightweight carbon fibre supercars, but is finding it hard to ignore the sales success of sports SUVs such as the Lamborghini Urus, Porsche Cayenne and Aston Martin DBX, which have become money spinners for their respective brands.

Ferrari also recently moved into the realm with its all-wheel drive, four-door Purosangue, though it resolutely resists calling it an SUV.

Leiters, who was Ferrari’s chief technology officer before taking the top post at McLaren in July, gave more details about the upcoming model in an interview with UK’s Car magazine.

“Why shouldn’t you offer something for a totally different purpose without negating your brand DNA? I think there are very, very good examples in the market which have shown how it works,” said Leiters.

He said the SUV will be aerodynamically efficient and have lightweight construction to remain true to McLaren’s values, and the company is considering a hybrid structure with carbonfibre and aluminium, he told Car.

McLaren has made petrol-electric hybrids — namely the P1, the Speedtail and the new Artura — but the as-yet-unnamed new SUV is likely to be a pure electric car.

According to Leiters' interview, "[Impressive] longitudinal acceleration with battery cars is not a problem: you can have that in a limousine or an SUV with 1000kw [of power].”

There’s a strong likelihood the crossover will be all-wheel drive too.

It will give the carmaker an opportunity to try a new design direction, and Leiters admits that McLaren hasn’t differentiated its cars sufficiently from a visual standpoint. 

There’s a chance the vehicle will get a new name too, as Leiters says the current number-based strategy is too confusing, with different model lines’ power outputs overlapping.

The new model will potentially go on sale in 2026.