What's all this about?
McLaren is readying a very new type of car for the market next year, and now we know what it's called: the Artura. This thing is powered by an all-new V6 twin-turbo engine, it has an all-new chassis and structure called the McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA) which was developed at and will be built in the McLaren Composites Technology Centre (MCTC) in Sheffield, and it's a 'High-Performance Hybrid', or HPH in Macca's preferred nomenclature. Not, of course, that this is McLaren's first hybrid to make it to market, you understand, as we've already had the mighty part-electric pair in the form of the P1 and the Speedtail. But McLaren will make enough Arturas to ensure it can be classified as the company's first-ever 'series production' hybrid.
I see. And do we have full details on what is powering it?
No, not at this stage. This is simply McLaren confirming its name and that it will debut both the aforementioned V6 twin-turbo as the onboard internal combustion engine. This smaller, more compact engine will sit alongside the biturbo V8, which has been in service ever since the MP4-12C arrived nearly a decade ago and which is still, in enlarged form, powering things like the 765LT today. The V6 has been specially designed to be a hybrid with part-electric augmentation and the Artura should have a big enough battery on it that it can drive for extended periods on its zero-emissions gear alone. Not only that, but McLaren is claiming that the weight increase brought about by the hybrid part of the drivetrain's make-up is offset by weight-saving technologies employed in the chassis, body and propulsion systems as part of the MCLA. So it the Artura HPH should not only be rapid and relatively clean by emissions standards, but also as good to drive as McLaren's best super- and hypercars.
Sounds very promising. Anything else to add at this stage?
Afraid not, as McLaren says it will release more technical detail in the coming weeks and months ahead of the car's launch, likely sometime in the latter half of next year. So we'll sign off with the thoughts of McLaren Automotive's CEO, Mike Flewitt, who said: "Every element of the Artura is all-new - from the platform architecture and every part of the High-Performance Hybrid powertrain, to the exterior body, interior and cutting-edge driver interface - but it draws on decades of McLaren experience in pioneering super-lightweight race and road car technologies to bring all of our expertise in electrification to the supercar class."
Matt Robinson - 23 Nov 2020