McLaren Automotive promises eighteen fresh cars by the end of 2025, the fourth of which is due to go into production within months. Eight years on from the arrival of the MP4-12C, this plucky English supercar maker should sell in excess of 4,000 vehicles for the second year in succession. A stated goal of 6,000 a year by mid-decade may soon be not quite ambitious enough.
McLaren classifies each of its vehicles as being part of three ‘series’. The astronomically priced, short production run cars such as the Senna and Speedtail are part of an Ultimate Series. Below these hypercars are various vehicles grouped in a Super Series, with the Sports Series in a lower price bracket. The last group usually have a three-digit model name starting with a 5 or a 6, whereas the newer 720S belongs to the Super Series.
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The initial model in the second generation Sports Series is expected to have its world premiere at the 2020 Geneva motor show. As yet there is no specific name but the car will have the same basic platform as the second generation Super Series, which premiered at the 2017 Geneva show. The development code is rumoured to be P16. The new Sports Series is one of the main car lines for Track25.
Announced at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2018, Track25 is a business plan which calls for 18 fresh cars or derivatives by the end of 2025. The plan, which also includes an aim to be manufacturing 6,000 cars a year in 2025, is an extension of the former Track22 which McLaren announced at the 2016 Geneva motor show.
In 2016, McLaren doubled sales compared to 2015, from 1,654 cars to over 3,000, of which over 90% were exported. For CY2017, McLaren said it sold 3,340 cars. In 2018, the total rose to 4,806 cars.
The company is yet to say how it will hit the annual production target of 6,000 cars per annum. To get there McLaren will have to either expand its Woking plant or set up an additional facility. Outsourcing build is another option.
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By GlobalDataEven though a new Sports Series isn’t too far off, the company is still launching fresh derivatives of the existing line, which now consists of the 540C Coupe; 570S Coupe, Spider and GT; and 600LT and Spider.
The world premiere of the first car took place at the New York auto show in 2015. This was the 570S Coupé. The second, the 540C Coupé, followed later the same month at the Shanghai motor show. The latter became available globally from early 2016. The 540C is powered by a 540PS 3.8-litre biturbo V6 which produces 540Nm of torque.
The 570S Spider, which has a retractable hardtop, was then announced in June 2017 a few weeks ahead of its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The 570GT, yet another coupe variant, had its world premiere at the Geneva motor show in March 2016. This has a side-opening rear glass hatch which allows an additional 220 litres of storage space. The GT comes with additional sound-deadening material, the steering is slightly less direct and the suspension has more compliance. Also, there is additional storage space in the cabin including a glovebox, plus there is a cupholder.
The 600LT was revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2018. Compared to a 570S Coupé, the 600 Long Tail is 96kg lighter, has 25 per cent bespoke parts and is powered by a 600PS and 620Nm version of McLaren’s 3.8-litre biturbo V8. The bodywork has unique carbon fibre panels which make the LT 74mm longer than other Sports Series cars. This includes a special front splitter as well as bespoke side sills, an extended diffuser and a fixed rear wing. McLaren said it would produce the 600LT for 12 months from October 2018. In July, the company said it had built the final 600LT Coupe.
The 600LT Spider, announced in January, was the third of Track25’s 18 cars/variants to be launched.
The fourth vehicle for Track25 will be the GT, a model which was announced in May (see image). This model is powered by a 620PS and 630Nm 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8, with the car weighing a claimed 1,530kg (DIN). McLaren claims there is storage capacity of 570 litres. The rear luggage bay is accessed via a front-hinged, full-length glass tailgate. This can be electrically powered at extra cost. Deliveries are due to commence in the fourth quarter.
At the moment, there is only one official model in the second generation Super Series. The 720S, which replaced the 650S, is claimed to have a wider cabin and a lower entry-exit sill than the original. The first deliveries of the 720S took place in May 2017, production having commenced during the previous month. The 720S was the first car to be powered by a 3,994cc biturbo V8 which has the code of M840T.
The 720S Spider was announced by McLaren in December 2018. A Long Tail variant is planned for the end of 2020, Mike Flewitt stated in a March 2020 interview. The car’s name will likely be 740LT. The third generation Super Series should debut in 2023 but there will be many more variants for the current series before then.
As for the Ultimate Series, production of the Senna is now in its final phase, and build of the Speedtail is underway. Next comes a speedster, which as yet has no official model name. Details of the powertrain and drivetrain are also secret. Production should commence in 2021.
Reports for many other manufacturers’ future models are grouped in the OEM product strategy summaries section of just-auto.com. That also includes more information on past, current and next generation McLarens.
Future product program intelligence
More detail on past, current and forthcoming models can be found in PLDB, the future vehicles database which is part of QUBE.
The next OEM to have its future models strategy examined will be BMW AG. That includes features on BMW cars; BMW SUVs; BMW M; BMW i; and Mini and Rolls-Royce.
