{"id":30403,"date":"2022-08-30T12:03:38","date_gmt":"2022-08-30T16:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=30403"},"modified":"2022-08-30T12:03:38","modified_gmt":"2022-08-30T16:03:38","slug":"mclaren-suv-crossover-electric-rumor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=30403","title":{"rendered":"McLaren pulls a U-turn, now mulling luxury crossover | Autoblog"},"content":{"rendered":"

For years, McLaren<\/a> was adamant that they would never build an SUV. Now, reports are saying the company has taken a 180 degree turn on that stance, and its new CTO, ex-Porsche and ex-Ferrari exec Michael Leiters, is only likely to accelerate down that path.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“McLaren is a sports car<\/a> brand and that’s exactly what we’re going to remain,” the company said in 2014<\/a>. While repeating their minimalist design mantra in 2018<\/a>, “Everything for a reason,” the chief designer went even further, dealing some choice words about SUVs: “[Their] reason is to clutter up the streets.” The position was reiterated in 2019<\/a> with a different design chief, who said, “We really do deliver on the ultimate driving experience. For us, it means no compromise. An SUV … [isn’t] a no-compromise kind of vehicle.”<\/p>\n

McLaren was already considering an about-face, as Autocar<\/em><\/a> reports before the new sheriff in town. However, with Leiters had a hand in ushering both the Porsche Cayenne<\/a> and Ferrari<\/a> Purosangue into existence during his tenures at those companies, it’s looking increasingly likely we’ll see a McLaren luxury crossover<\/a> sooner rather than never.<\/p>\n

Speaking about the segment, Leiters told Autocar<\/em>, \u201cIt still is, and it continues to grow. It\u2019s very attractive as a market segment.” However, he stressed that the product should be “in line with our DNA.”<\/p>\n

Autocar<\/em> is already predicting some loose parameters. The vehicle would be all-electric with either dual- or tri-motor setups to compete with the likes of the Aston Martin DBX<\/a> 707. In that company, as in Porsche<\/a> and Lamborghini<\/a>, crossovers have accounted<\/a> for more than half<\/a> of their new car<\/a> sales in recent years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The report goes on to say that the McLaren crossover is expected to cost around $410,000 and will go on sale in the second half of this decade. That makes McLaren’s interest in an Extreme E race team<\/a> a bit more understandable.<\/p>\n

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