If you can't beat them, join them?
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McLaren has repeatedly gone on record to say an SUV will never happen. However, rumors persist that the Woking-based marque will eventually fail to resist the temptation of adding rear doors and a pair of stilts. Case in point, Autocar has it on good authority it’ll happen in the latter half of the decade and the model in question won’t have a combustion engine. Yes, the British magazine claims the high-riding Mac will be sold only as an EV.
Details are scarce for the time being, but it is believed McLaren’s first-ever SUV will sit low to the ground and is going to have all-wheel drive courtesy of dual electric motors. The report goes on to mention there might be a more potent tri-motor derivative and even solid-state batteries. Using this tech would allow the engineers to keep the EV’s weight in check. Side note – the new Lotus Eletre is believed to tip the scales at about 2,000 kilograms (4,400 pounds), which is relatively low for a large electric SUV.
McLaren Extreme E electric off-roader
Company insiders cited by Autocar have reportedly said there’s “an appetite for the idea” of an SUV, one that could cost an arm and a leg. It is believed buyers will have to fork out nearly £350,000, which works out to roughly $421,000 or €401,500 at current exchange rates. The most practical McLaren ever could go by the name of “Aeron,” if a recent trademark filing is any indication. Originating from Hebrew, it means “mountain of strength” and would therefore make sense for an SUV.
In the meantime, McLaren has (sort of) unveiled an electric SUV already. We’re talking about a bespoke race car for the Extreme E series with Emma Gilmour behind the wheel as the first McLaren Racing female driver ever. She’s part of a duo with Tanner Foust in a vehicle that packs a 54-kWh battery and weighs 1,780 kilograms (3,924 pounds).
The electric off-roader has a pair of motors good for a combined 543 horsepower (400 kilowatts), which translates to a 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) sprint in 4.5 seconds. You can’t necessarily tell by looking at these images, but the vehicle is imposingly wide, at 2.3 meters (90.5 inches).
Needless to say, if McLaren is indeed making an SUV for public roads, it likely won’t have anything in common with this purpose-built EV racer.
Keyword: Wild Rumor Claims McLaren Is Making An SUV After All, And It'll Be Electric