For most of its modern road-car history, McLaren has stuck closely to a familiar recipe. Low-slung, mid-engined supercars have defined the brand even as rivals discovered that high-performance SUVs could bring entirely different customers through the door.
Lamborghini has the Urus, Aston Martin has the DBX, and Ferrari eventually joined the high-riding club with the Purosangue. McLaren remained one of the conspicuous holdouts while rumors about a practical model with additional seats circulated for years.
That position has now officially changed. As part of a massive expansion of its British operations, McLaren Automotive has confirmed that a performance SUV is coming.
It represents a major departure for a company that has built its reputation around lightweight supercars. McLaren insists, however, that the upcoming SUV will still have to follow the principles that distinguish its existing cars.
McLaren Says The Urus And DBX Are Rivals
McLaren COO Michael Straughan gave Top Gear a clearer idea of where the unnamed SUV will sit. He identified the Lamborghini Urus and Aston Martin DBX as competitors, while saying he wasn’t sure the Ferrari Purosangue belonged in the same group because Ferrari’s approach is significantly different.
The new McLaren is expected to arrive before the end of the decade and will use a hybrid powertrain rather than launching as a pure EV. McLaren’s future powertrain plans include bringing engine design and manufacturing in-house for the first time, so it makes sense to not go full-EV.
Exactly what will power the SUV is still unknown. McLaren has confirmed that two new engines and transmissions are planned as part of its future hybrid strategy, but it hasn’t released their specifications or confirmed which will be used in the SUV.
It Could Even Have A Carbon-Fiber Structure
McLaren’s supercars are closely associated with carbon-fiber structures, but translating that philosophy to a much larger vehicle presents challenges involving cost, refinement, and manufacturing.
Straughan says McLaren is considering carbon fiber but hasn’t committed to it. If that approach proves impractical, aluminum is another possibility.
Whatever McLaren chooses, keeping weight under control will be important. Straughan emphasized that power-to-weight ratio remains central to McLaren’s philosophy, even as the company enters a category that inherently requires a larger, heavier, and more practical vehicle.
The SUV will be developed as a McLaren, the carmaker isn’t simply borrowing an existing SUV platform and putting its badge on the nose.
McLaren Is Spending £500 Million On Its UK Expansion
The SUV announcement forms part of a £500 million investment program backed by shareholder L’IMAD. McLaren plans to add a new UK vehicle-assembly facility while expanding its existing operations in Woking and its carbon-fiber manufacturing and research operation in South Yorkshire.
McLaren says the expansion will create at least 1,000 direct and indirect jobs across its UK operations by 2032. Its manufacturing workforce is expected to double, while thousands of additional jobs could be supported throughout the supply chain.
Perhaps most importantly, the SUV won’t be a one-off experiment outside McLaren’s traditional comfort zone. The company says it is building a portfolio around its supercars and entering new categories, potentially opening the door to additional front-engined models later.
The company that spent years watching Lamborghini, Aston Martin, and Ferrari expand beyond conventional supercars is finally preparing to do the same.