McLaren SUV in the works? Lessons to learn from Lamborghini

It’s hard to avoid the SUV bandwagon, whether you are a mass-market player or a uber-luxury automaker. Harping on the same, it now seems iconic British performance carmaker McLaren will soon bite the bullet. According to a recent report by a European publication, the automaker is gearing up to work on two extremely important projects. The brand’s next big launch will be the McLaren P1 successor set to arrive by 2026, which will be followed by a “super SUV" due in 2028.

The McLaren P1 successor will be a new hybrid flagship and a part of the company’s Ultimate Series joining the ranks of cars like the Senna, Speedtail and Elva. The new hybrid supercar is expected to be about 70 per cent lighter when compared to existing McLaren designs and will pack substantially more horsepower too. To give you perspective, the P1 packs about 891 bhp. It wouldn’t be out of line to expect the hybrid successor to make well over 1,000 bhp, taking on the Lamborghini Revuelto in the process.

McLaren recently unveiled the 750S as a replacement to the 720S, which will arrive in India at a later date

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McLaren recently unveiled the 750S as a replacement to the 720S, which will arrive in India at a later date

However, the big volumes model (by McLaren standards) could be the upcoming four-seater, four-door super SUV. Little is known about the model at the moment but the model is likely to fall in line with the same logic as the Lamborghini Urus, Aston Martin DBX, Maserati Levante, Porsche Cayenne and Ferrari Purosangue have been built on.

To be fair, the massive success of the Lamborghini Urus led the way for supercar makers to dabble in the SUV/crossover space. Models like the Cayenne, Urus, or even the Purosangue show how it’s doable to build an SUV while keeping the brand ethos intact. That extra dose of practicality has made super SUVs so popular, especially in markets like India.

The upcoming McLaren SUV is reportedly already under development but the automaker is tight-lipped about the same. It will be interesting to see if the automaker can add a hybrid powertrain to its SUV, in-keeping with future norms and stringent regulations. The Urus is also set to go hybrid in its next iteration, which also seems to be the case for other models by the end of the decade. It's safe to say the upcoming McLaren SUV will make its way to India in the future.