Lamborghini and Ferrari thought they were safe from competing with McLaren when they each launched their first SUVs. Lamborghini made the first move with generous parts sharing from its corporate cousins when it launched the Urus in 2018. Ferrari tried holding out, but ceded to its own financial interests when it began selling the Purosangue in 2023.
McLaren was supposed to be different, and said as much in 2018 when the president of McLaren North America publicly commented, “… we’re a profitable company, so there’s really no need to go into SUVs.” Something has apparently changed, according to Automotive News, which is reporting McLaren has told its dealers to expect an SUV from the company in 2028. Never say never.
Why An SUV Now?
The SUV has come to dominate automotive sales since the Ford Explorer first struck gold in 1991. Before then, SUVs were rugged and uncomfortable, tolerated by a select few who were actual adventurers. Since then, the SUV has vanquished the minivan as America’s favorite family vehicle and snuck into every single class size and price point of vehicle that exists. They now range in price from a $22,000 Chevrolet Trax to a Bentley Cullinan costing over $400,000. And in almost all cases where automakers sell an SUV, it has become their golden goose. That’s why supercar manufacturers such as Lamborghini, Ferrari, and now even McLaren have decided to sell them.
McLaren’s SUV will at least be a McLaren through and through. Codenamed the P47, the SUV has reportedly been called “sculpted and muscular” by those who’ve seen it. They say it’s slightly bigger than a Porsche Cayenne Turbo and the clay model shown to dealers wore 24-inch wheels. McLaren also reportedly told dealers its SUV will be a hybrid, though didn’t elaborate in regard to what engine will be at the heart of it – either a V-8 or V-6 of some sort, most likely.
Fortunately, McLaren has experience with hybrid propulsion systems, having first used them in a production car with its P1 hypercar and currently with the Artura coupe. The latter car produces 671 horsepower and 531 pound-feet of torque, which is comparable to the power produced by the Ferrari Purosangue’s naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V-12 (715 hp and 528 lb-ft). That said, McLaren’s SUV isn’t coming until 2028, so it may need even more power to stay competitive by the time it goes on sale.
Speaking of which, an SUV isn’t the only new vehicle coming from McLaren. The automaker told its dealers to expect a new product each year through 2028. That could mean new special editions of current models or all-new models that compete in spaces McLaren hasn’t competed in before. We’ll have to wait to see exactly what this automaker has up its sleeve.
TopSpeed’s Take
McLaren’s eating some crow today after it swore – in public and multiple times – that it would never make an SUV. We don’t know why SUVs leave a bad taste in some automakers’ mouths; they’re practical, they look cool, and with modern technology they can go, stop, and handle just like a traditional supercar. It’s a good thing McLaren has finally seen the light and will give the people what they want – a McLaren they can go grocery shopping with.
In the end, SUVs subsidize sports cars. It’s that simple. The Porsche 911 wouldn’t be alive today without the Cayenne and Macan. The Explorer makes Mustangs possible. And Lamborghini couldn’t keep making special editions of its supercars if they weren’t all subsidized by the Urus. So celebrate the SUV with us, and be glad we’re finally getting one from McLaren in just a few short years.
Source: Automotive News
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