McLaren GT McLaren bosses say an SUV is (still) out of the question, but note there will be room in the lineup for new technologies, like hybrid hypercars capable of zero-to-96-km/h times under two-and-a-half seconds.When Car and Driver recently prodded him on the prospect of building an SUV, McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt says trucks are still a non-starter for the British brand.Why would we? he says. We dont have to.Wed never get a return on it, Flewitt says. The cost of designing a brand-new platform would cost well over $1 billion, and besides that, were all getting sick of thoroughbred supercar manufacturers building SUVs just to make a profit.Instead of trying to fit more people in the back of its vehicles, McLaren is trying to fit more power, and thats why there will definitely be another hybrid model, as well as a pure EV, although it is less keen on those. Flewitt says current batteries are too heavy, too expensive and not dense enough to meet the brands standards.As for the hybrid model, its already in the works. Riding on a next-generation platform set to be unveiled in the spring of 2020, the vehicle will rock a hybrid powertrain with all-wheel-drive.The target zero-to-60-mph (96 km/h) time is in the realm of 2.3 seconds, since launches will be aided by an electric front axle. The model will be the first of an eventual all-hybrid lineup, which will gradually subsume the gas-only car range over three or four
Origin: McLaren: no-go on SUVs, but yes to hybrids that do 96 km/h in 2.3 seconds