McLaren plans 18 new cars by 2025 12 | 07 | 2018
McLAREN HAS PLEDGED to launch 18 new models and derivatives by 2025 as part of a £1.2 billion investment. And the offensive will see its entire line-up electrified and the arrival of a successor to the P1 hypercar. The British carmaker made the announcement today at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. (Related: McLaren Senna to hit 0-62mph in 2.8secs)
Under the banner of Track25, the plan is an expansion of the existing Track22 plan revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in 2016. (Related: McLaren plans hybrid future)
CEO Mike Flewitt made it clear the new flagship hypercard will use a hybrid powertrain. It’s understood McLaren is already developing a lightweight, superfast-charging, high-power battery system for high performance vehicles. The company also stated its entire sports car and supercar line-up will be electrified before 2025. (Related: Roadtest — McLaren 720S)
The company will also continue its drive to win the new supercar ‘weight race’ by ensuring, as it does today, that each of its products is the lightest in their segment. This complements a £50m investment in developing and manufacturing the future of lightweighting technology with the soon to-open McLaren Composites Technology Centre (MCTC). Once fully operational, the MCTC will mean around 57 per cent of vehicle content by value will be UK sourced.
While staying faithful to the core idea of creating and hand-assembling the world’s best drivers’ cars, McLaren will remain focussed on crafting mid-engined sportscars and sportscars.
Investment in 18 new models or derivatives will help lift production by almost 75% over current levels to around 6000 cars a year by the middle of the next decade. As now, all will be hand-assembled at the McLaren Production Centre in Woking.
Alongside a focus on the on-track and on-road experience, McLaren will introduce technologies designed to improve the owning experience. Cars will feature enhanced cyber protection, improved vehicle tracking and over-the-air (OTA) software updates, allowing McLaren customers to benefit from new features without the need for inconvenient downtime at retailers.
Currently retailed in 31 markets around the world through an 86-stong retailer network, McLaren Automotive is looking at both expanding in existing markets as well as evaluating several major new markets including Russia, India and Central/Eastern Europe. Rising demand means the aim will be to reach 100 retailers within the life of the Track25 plan.
“Everyone at McLaren Automotive remains constant in their focus of designing and crafting the world’s best drivers’ cars,” Mike Flewitt (pictured above), Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Automotive, said. “True to McLaren’s spirit, however, our ambitions continue to grow and our £1.2bn Track25 business plan which covers 18 new models, including a new McLaren P1, is clear proof of that.
“We are a luxury brand that is committed to investing in innovation, whether that’s in the development and manufacture of our own carbon fibre tubs as part of a new £50m British-based production centre, or new powertrains with our entire range due to be hybrid by 2025 or the deployment of technology to enhance the driving and owning experience.
“As a global brand we are set to add more retailers in both existing and exciting new markets as demand for our products continues to grow. While our plan sets the direction for the next seven years to take us through to the middle of the next decade, we need to also pause and acknowledge the great effort, ingenuity and competitive spirit of all of our incredible people on which our success, both now and in the future, rests.”
The largest part of the McLaren Group, McLaren Automotive has a global workforce of around 2300 people with headcount expected to remain broadly stable until 2025 across offices in the UK, US, Bahrain, China, Singapore, Japan and Spain.
Related: Roadtest — McLaren 570GT
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Jim McGill