McLaren has been mulling whether to join Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, and basically every other automaker in the world in making an SUV, and now we have a date, according to a new report. The marque’s SUV will launch in 2028, part of a few new cars planned for the British brand that built its reputation on racing.
The SUV was partially unveiled at a dealer meeting in the United Kingdom this week, and by that we mean in clay model form, according to Automotive News. The new SUV is codenamed P47 and will not only be the first McLaren SUV but also the first McLaren to have four doors and five seats.
The powertrain is said to include a V-8 engine in a hybrid setup and be all-wheel-drive. The SUV has 24-inch wheels, and those in attendance told Automotive News that it had a similar profile to the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT.
Image courtesy of Porsche
The McLaren SUV will not be a plug-in hybrid, but a milder hybrid, with the electric power meant to complement the gas engine. The car will have a rear spoiler and aerodynamics that look “sculpted and muscular,” which is surely what McLaren is going for.
The SUV will not be a surprise, unless you’ve been living under a rock for a couple of decades. SUVs have come to dominate nearly every aspect of the automotive industry in North America, home to the second-biggest car market in the world, a.k.a. the US. For McLaren, the question has not been if it would build an SUV, but when.
The supercar maker is also under new ownership since April, when Abu Dhabi-based investors acquired it. McLaren has new leadership, too, with CEO Nick Collins taking over then. There had been some reports that the marque was developing an all-electric SUV, to the horror of some purists, but a hybrid SUV seems like a decent compromise, since supercar makers are now relying on SUVs to keep themselves afloat and keep the supercars coming.
Purists were also aghast when Ferrari started selling the Purosangue SUV, though after that happened the world did not end. McLaren also has some more fun cars coming in addition to the SUV, including the W1 hypercar next year, a coupé in 2027, a replacement for the 750S, and a replacement for the GTS. McLaren’s kitchen is cooking.
