Supercar maker McLaren to skip electric vehicles. Here's why — and what it will build instead

Mark Phelan | Detroit Free Press

Brands from Ford to Porsche are all-in on electric vehicles, but don’t expect a battery-powered model from exotic sports car maker McLaren Automotive anytime soon.

“Technology doesn’t allow for a great EV sports car today, largely because of the weight of batteries,” CEO Mike Flewitt said recently over breakfast in Detroit.

McLaren Automotive is the small automaker that’s part of the organization that includes 2019 Formula One champion McLaren Racing. It’s the biggest moneymaker in the McLaren Group, accounting for 86% of 2018 revenues of nearly $2 billion.

McLaren is owned by a small group of investors intent on building value and eventually taking the company public. Money-losing vehicles aren’t its bag.

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All-new vehicles beginning in 2020

McLaren does expect to make money on hybrids, though. A plug-in hybrid first should hit the road late in 2020. It's expected to have a battery range of 25-30 miles before a gasoline engine takes over.

That’s when the hypercar brand – 2.8 seconds 0-60 mph in the supremely drivable $411,300 720S Spider two-seat convertible I drove – will launch the first in a new generation of vehicles.

McLaren spent a lot developing an architecture to underpin the next generation of its vehicles. A new electronics system will be capable of managing features from the hybrid to advanced safety systems, possibly including predictive braking that’s tuned to improve performance as well as safety.

But first, there’s one more goody from the family of cars that includes the 720S. Arriving in the U.S. now, the McLaren GT is what passes for a practical model when all you build is two-seaters.

Priced around $210,000, the GT seats two. A hatchback over the engine behind the passengers opens to provide enough room for a golf bag. There’s also a small compartment in the nose.

The GT has a 612-horsepower 4.0L V8 turbo engine and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. It hits 60 mph in 3.1 seconds and has a top speed of 203 mph.

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Who needs an SUV?

McLaren’s signature features are:

Lightweight bodies and chassis made of carbon fiber, the expensive material used for the most expensive race cars, bicycles and aircraft.

Aerodynamics

Drivetrains

Chassis systems for handling

“Our goal is to deliver the best driving experience in each segment we participate in,” Flewitt said.

Those segments won’t include electric vehicles until breakthroughs reduce the weight of their batteries, increase their range and reduce charging time. Solid state batteries could fit the bill, but they appear to be years from commercial automotive use.

There’s no SUV in McLaren’s future.

“It doesn’t fit the brand,” Flewitt said. “We need to be renowned for excellence in the segments we’re in. We’d be just another brand doing SUVs.” On top of that, McLaren doesn’t see any gaps in the luxury SUV market.

Look for more information on McLaren’s new architecture and features coming out of the Geneva auto show in March. The first look at the vehicle could come next summer, perhaps at the festival of luxury and exotic cars in Pebble Beach, California.

McLaren expects to sell about 5,000 cars in 2019, growing gradually to 6,000 in 2023-24.

Contact Mark Phelan at 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter.