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It seems likely that McLaren’s lineup will soon include a rival for the Ferrari Purosangue. According to Automotive News, its new owners want to see an SUV in the McLaren lineup to increase the supercar brand’s profitability. The British sports car company has struggled in recent years with financial losses, which culminated in December when its primary financiers, the sovereign holding company of the kingdom of Bahrain, sold a majority share to CYVN Holdings LLC in Abu Dhabi. The new ownership means McLaren’s 2018 commitment to never build a sport-ute will prove to be false.

Details On The SUV Remain Scarce

Although McLaren’s old boss Mike Flewitt was adamant the brand would never produce a larger car than its slinky little speedsters, his departure in 2021 and the subsequent hiring of CEO Michael Leiters signified a changing wind at the brand. Leiters was the first to float the idea of a sporty SUV in 2022, and with CYVN calling the shots these days, such a vehicle is a foregone conclusion. The omnipresence of crossovers may seem blasphemous for a brand that built itself on the name of Formula 1, Can-Am, and endurance racer Bruce McLaren, but such is the reality of selling expensive cars to rich people.

That said, little is known about the future McLaren utility vehicle. It’s almost guaranteed to be a pavement-oriented machine with wind-shaped styling and exciting performance, much like the Purosangue, Aston Martin DBX, and Lamborghini Urus. Given the segment, it seems unlikely that the Mac will have any real off-road talents, although we’d love to see the company leverage its engineering prowess to build a rough-road crossover like the surprisingly capable Porsche Cayenne Off-Road Package. If that were the case, we could forgive a McLaren for trading on-track prowess for off-piste tenacity – high performance is high performance, after all.

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At the very least, we hope the McLaren SUV won’t endure too much weight gain. Another lightweight sports car brand, Lotus, lost that battle when it unveiled the nearly-6,000-pound Eletre, an electric SUV that’s three times heavier than the company’s legendarily trim Elise.

The Business Is Getting A Big Alteration

Beyond the additional body style, McLaren is also getting a new corporate cousin as it transitions to CYVN guidance. According to anonymous sources, its parent company will merge the supercar manufacturer with Forseven, an EV startup also based in England. After the merger, Leiter will continue to lead McLaren, while rumor has it former Jaguar Land Rover Vehicle Director Nick Collins will step in and manage the two brands’ new joint entity.

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Collins is already the CEO of Forseven, a position he’s held for more than a yea, atlhough it’s not entirely clear what the company does at the moment. Regardless, the tie-in seems likely to bear fruit in the form of electrified McLarens, so again, we just hope the sports car company known for its light, rigid carbon fiber tubs can resist the urge to pack on the pounds.

Source: Automotive News