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McLaren won't do an SUV, says company design chief

While many carmakers traditionally known for supercars have bolstered their lineups with SUVs and crossovers, that will not happen with McLaren. At least according to McLaren design chief Mark Roberts, as quoted by Automotive News. Roberts made the statement at an event preceding the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, saying, "We really do deliver on the ultimate driving experience. For us, it means no compromise. An SUV doesn't allow us to deliver on that. It's not a no-compromise kind of vehicle." Company boss Mike Flewitt was asked the same question way back in 2014, and the response was similar: "We need to remain very focused. McLaren is a sports car brand, and that's exactly what we're going to remain." For a number of sports car brands now offering SUVs, it's all about making money to make money: Selling profitable, in-demand, high-riding vehicles provides them with the bankroll to keep developing their low-slung core products that show the brand in the best light. For McLaren, dilution like that isn't an option, despite its intent to bring as many as 18 new models to the market by 2025, electrifying its lineup with hybrid tech. Roberts told Automotive News: "For a small company like McLaren, it's a big deal and a big challenge. It's putting a big demand on [McLaren's production facility] to step up to demand and build more volume." Still, for some carmakers, the old thought "Never say never again" will prove true: Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne famously told reporters in 2016, "We won't make an SUV. You'll have to shoot me first." Despite that, Ferrari confirmed an SUV was on the table when the late Marchionne was still very much alive. And Rolls-Royce, which recently launched its massive Cullinan SUV, reportedly " wasn't even discussing SUVs" as late as 2013. Related Video:

McLaren evaluating an EV hypercar for the P1 family

McLaren is evaluating a fully electric powertrain for a future Ultimate Series of model – a family that currently includes the P1 and P1 GTR (pictured above). The possible hypercar could give wealthy customers an ideal combination of insane performance and zero emissions. Look out for significantly more hybrids from the British sports car maker, too. McLaren doesn't have any specific details about the EV yet because the development is still in the early stages. "Our engineers have even started work on a one-off prototype to evaluate the possible benefits of a fully-electric powertrain in an Ultimate Series car," McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt said. The P1 already sports a hybrid powertrain, but the company wants to bring electrification to its less expensive Sports and Super Series models, too. "Our next hybrid vehicle will launch towards the latter part of our six-year plan, and we will see at least 50 percent featuring hybrid technology by 2022," Flewitt said. To fund so much powertrain development, McLaren's latest business plan includes investing a billion pounds ($1.4 billion at current exchange rates) over the next six years into research and development. Beyond electrification, the other fruits of that labor will be launching 15 cars or derivatives over that period and a new engine architecture around the end of that time. The company will have to deliver on plans to double output this year to continue putting so much money into vehicle development. Related Video: McLAREN AUTOMOTIVE LAUNCHES SIX-YEAR INVESTMENT PROGRAMME IN FUTURE PRODUCTS AND TECHNOLOGY Six-year 'Track22' Business Plan announced GBP1 billion investment in Research and Development over six-years of plan 15 all-new cars or derivatives under development At least 50 percent of McLaren cars to feature hybrid technology by 2022 Fully-electric prototype in the Ultimate Series under evaluation Just over six years after the company was formed, McLaren Automotive has announced details of its Track22 Business Plan, taking it through the next six years through to 2022. Maintaining a spotlight on the development of the world best drivers' cars, McLaren Automotive will continue to focus purely on the development of two-seater sports and supercars. At the heart of the Business Plan is a commitment to its industry-leading 20-25 percent of turnover invested in Research and Development for future products and technology.

McLaren 675LT gets paint scheme from its dad

The McLaren 675LT was designed as a lighter, faster version of the 650S, and it gained a lengthened tail section, hence the LT designation. This longer design was partly inspired by the McLaren F1 GTR "longtail." That race car also featured a longer body. One 675LT customer decided bodywork wasn't enough of a connection to the famous '90s racer, so he commissioned the race-inspired paint scheme you see above. The paint job is a rendition of the 1997 Le Mans GT1 class-winning F1 GTR, which sported a livery based on main sponsor Gulf Oil. It's not a simple design, and it's one that McLaren completely painted. There are no stickers here. And it took a lot of work to complete. McLaren says the whole car took 1,000 hours to finish, and 800 of them were spent on the paint. The company even had to ask Gulf Oil permission to use the color scheme again. But the end result is a convincing facsimile of the old race car, particularly with those almost glowing orange wheels. Aside from the striking paint, the car has a few exterior changes. It has vented front fenders, a more prominent roof scoop, and a visible carbon-fiber rear air brake. Inside, the car features black upholstery with contrasting orange and blue stitching, orange vent surrounds and seat belts, and blue handling and powertrain switchgear. The only things left unchanged are the performance numbers. It doesn't weigh any less than a normal model. It also makes the same 666 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque as the regular 675LTs. But that should still be plenty of fun to play with, and surely the paint job makes it feel a lot faster. Related Video: Featured Gallery McLaren 675LT Gulf Livery View 10 Photos Image Credit: McLaren McLaren Coupe Supercars gulf mclaren 675lt mclaren f1 gtr