McLaren has admitted to TopGear.com that a
hybrid version of the twin-turbo V8-engined 650S
supercar is ‘possible'.
Mark Vinnels, executive director for product
development at the British carmaker, says that
the company's experience with the P1's hybrid
powertrain has made it possible to implement it
as a performance boost for other models.
"We obviously know quite a lot about hybrids
from what we've done with the P1," he said, "but
the biggest challenge for us is to achieve
something that delivers a genuine performance
benefit."
He stressed that this performance gain would not
come at the expense of extra weight.
"We're not prepared to support putting 100 or
200kg in a car, unless it delivers a real genuine
driver benefit," he said. "But it would be foolish to
say we're never going to do that [hybrid 650S] in
the future, because it's something we try and
pursue as we strive to make more efficient cars.
"But we're not going to do that at the expense of
performance," he added.
More 570S models to follow - including hardcore
version
Performance was one of the key themes on the
launch of the new ‘entry-level' McLaren 570S,
which made its worldwide premiere at the New
York Motor Show. It was an unveil that confused
some: the 570S shares the same basic MonoCell
tub and 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 - albeit in lesser
tune - with the 650S. It's even slightly bigger
than its big brother.
"It's always been part of the plan, the 570S,"
Vinnels assures TG. "So I don't think it will
confuse buyers. The 650S is more focused around
lap times and ultimate performance. In the Sports
Series, its more about fun, engagement."
He said this baby McLaren will take the lion's
share of sales - predicted at some 2,500 a year
compared to the 650S's 1500 - and in just a
couple of weeks at the Shanghai Motor Show,
we'll see a detuned version, dubbed 540C. That
car has, as expected, 533bhp.
When pushed on a stripped out, hardcore track
version of this 570S, Vinnels suggested it could
happen, but confirmed that two more Sports
Series models will arrive in the next two to three
years, including a racer, too.
"We're not sure yet whether we'll take this racing.
We might. If we don't, somebody else will," he
said. "So expect to see it on the track soon..."
New technology
With the 570S weighing in some £50,000 (₹46
lakh) cheaper than the 650S, Vinnels conceded
that making that Monocell economically viable for
this entry-level car "was even more traumatic
[than it was for the 650S]. There's still a lot to be
done in terms of the economics of producing the
MonoCell," he said. "There's also a lot more we
can do in terms of future cars, using even more
carbon fibre."
The V8 though, used across McLaren's range of
supercars, still has life left in it. "But, from our
perspective, we need to work through and decide
now what to do with it," he added.
End of the road for the P1
McLaren is also considering how a successor to
its deranged P1 might look - if indeed it decides
to build one.
"It [the P1] is pretty exclusive, isn't it?" Vinnels
says with a smile. "I think the P1 GTR takes it to
the point where it can't go much further. For us,
for a while, we're not going to do anything with
that. Who's to say what will happen in ten years
though?"
"For us to do another P1 or P2, whatever you
want to call it, we need to be thinking about the
next technology leap," he said. "To bring
something to the customer which is worthy of
something in the ‘ultimate series' for us. But
that's a few years off yet."
So, no more P1s, a raft of 570S models, the 650S
will move to become even more exclusive, and
there's even more racing in the pipeline. "We're
committed to a new car every year, so we're flat
out trying to deliver that," Vinnels said.
"Although we're an established brand, we've only
been making cars for four years, so we're running
very fast to catch up and overtake those who've
been producing them for many years," he added.
19:30:00
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