McLaren Confirms SUV Launch and £500M Investment Before End of Decade

On September 16, McLaren officially confirmed it will launch an SUV before the end of this decade, positioning it against the Ferrari Purosangue and Aston Martin DBX. The company also announced a £500 million investment (approximately RMB 4.53 billion at current exchange rates) to expand its UK production capacity and plans to create at least 1,000 new jobs across the group by 2032. In addition to its existing headquarters in Woking, McLaren will build a new UK-based final assembly plant to produce its next-generation models, including a high-performance SUV. Michael Straughan, Chief Operating Officer of McLaren, revealed that the vehicle will be a high-riding, four-door SUV, with consideration being given to using the same carbon-fiber monocoque chassis found in its supercars. The model is scheduled to debut before 2030 and could later spawn additional front-engine, all-wheel-drive variants. Reports previously indicated that McLaren dealers have already seen a prototype of the vehicle, fitted with 24-inch wheels. McLaren’s former CEO, Mike Flewitt, repeatedly rejected SUV proposals throughout the 2010s. Current CEO Michael Leiters previously contributed to the development of the Porsche Cayenne and Ferrari Purosangue. In 2025, McLaren’s total production across all models is expected to reach approximately 2,000 units. Estimates suggest Ferrari can produce up to 3,000 Purosangue units annually, while Lamborghini’s Urus achieves nearly double that figure in annual sales. Additionally, McLaren announced it will no longer rely on Ricardo for engine manufacturing, shifting instead to in-house development and production. Two new hybrid powertrains and their corresponding transmissions are already in the development phase.