He said: “We don’t build cars like that: pure 0-200kph or 0-300kph or even top speed. It’s not the car’s purpose, it’s a consequence of the attributes we’ve designed into it.”
McLaren has already committed to an aggressive hybridisation of its line-up, with the plug-in hybrid replacement for the Sports Series coming first and then other models quickly following.
Based on past conversations with insiders at McLaren, including Flewitt, Autocar believes the next P1 will use a split hybrid system with an electrically powered front axle. The rear will be powered by a regular petrol engine or a version of the hybridised V6 used by the new Sports Series.
Although hybridisation will create both packaging and weight challenges for engineers, these are much smaller than those presented by making an EV, because the battery will be significantly lighter and more compact.
“As a lower-volume manufacturer, our strategy is built around one platform,” said Flewitt, “so we might need an EV platform for certain markets and a hybrid platform for other markets or sectors.”
Flewitt admits the UK government’s proposal to bring forth a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars to 2035 (possibly even 2032 depending on what happens over the next few years) was “a surprise, and not a particularly nice one”.
He said McLaren will join with other car makers in lobbying for hybrids to be excluded from the ban, but also that it wouldn’t necessarily spell the end for non-electric McLarens.
“I’ve always thought that EV roll-out would see different market segments responding at different speeds,” Flewitt said. “It suits small commuter cars pretty well, with other sectors, like ours, responding a little later. I also think there will be geographic differences, with some markets, like China, pushing aggressively and other markets having a more relaxed time frame. Add all that together and you’ve got a mixed powertrain strategy for the next 20 or 30 years.”
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