McLaren confirms next-gen models will go hybrid in 2021

McLaren has unveiled an all-new lightweight platform designed for electrification. The new architecture will replace the company’s MonoCell chassis, which debuted on the MP4-12C a decade ago.

The carbon-fiber cell has been engineered to accommodate a hybrid powertrain and to be flexible so it can form the basis of every new McLaren from 2021. The platform will be built at a new facility in Sheffield, some 200 miles from the factory in Woking, Surrey, U.K.

Of course, the as-yet-unnamed 2021 model won’t be McLaren’s first hybrid, with the P1 and Speedtail both deploying electric power alongside their V-8s. However, these were limited “Ultimate Series” models rather than full production Sports Series cars.

The new model is believed to have a smaller, lighter twin-turbo V-6 at its heart, coupled to electric motors that provide a 20-mile pure EV driving range.

McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt says: “Our advanced expertise in light weight composites processes and manufacturing combined with our experience in cutting-edge battery technology and high-performance hybrid propulsion systems means we are ideally placed to deliver to customers levels of electrified high-performance motoring that until now have simply been unattainable. For us, light-weighting and electrification go hand-in-hand to achieve better performance as well as more efficient vehicles.”