McLaren is latest supercar maker to succumb to SUVS

Woking to follow rivals in chase for big profits; new high-riders will be electric-only

- STEVE CROPLEY

McLaren is working on a brand-new high-performance crossover - a project that directly contradicts its previously declared intention of only ever building supercars and hypercars.

The new crossover, on course to hit the market in the second half of this decade, will be a fully proposition, not a hybrid, battery-electric and will never be available with a combustion engine.

McLaren is understood to be eyeing a single model to begin with, but past practice suggests different specifications and power levels will be offered in time, similar to Aston Martin with the DBX.

The new McLarens are believed to be relatively low, compact, dual- or tri-motor, four-wheel-drive designs offering exalted performance levels likely to match Aston Martin's recently launched V8 DBX 707, currently billed as the world's fastest SUV.

Their size and complexity, plus the cost of what will undoubtedly be top-end battery technology, are likely to push prices well beyond the £250,000 level of McLaren's current production sports cars, perhaps closer to £350,000.

McLaren's radical change of heart about crossovers is undoubtedly a result of the sales success of its rival performance brands, whose existing crossover and SUV models already heavily outsell their lower-slung models and generate most of their profits.

Porsche, for example, delivered more cars than at any point in its 91-year history in 2021, with the Macan SUV and larger Cayenne together accounting for well over half of its 300,000 sales, while the 911 sports car accounted for just 38,464.

It's a similar story for Lamborghini, whose Urus SUV outsold the Huracán supercar in 2021 at a rate of around two to one.

The DBX made up half of Aston Martin's global sales in the same period, its first full year on sale.