McLaren has reiterated its promise that it has no plans to build an SUV. Sales and marketing boss Jolyon Nash told at the Beijing motor show that the company’s cars have a clear DNA and that it was important for any future cars to match up with that.
‘We’re reasonably comfortable with the template we’ve established with Sports Series and Super Series and I don’t see that changing enormously in the future,’ he explained. ‘I think we’re pretty clear on this at McLaren. Part of our success is that we’re consistent in what a McLaren is, and every car must be true to that DNA. It’s fundamentally a lightweight, mid-engined supercar/sportscar. Every car should live up to that and it should be engaging to drive.
Nash also said that he felt he would be breaking an unofficial agreement with the customers who have bought the company’s other cars if the firm did something more conventional. ‘We would not deliver on what our promise of what a McLaren is if we did an SUV,’ he said. ‘Management and shareholders are of the same view in this instance. Our business plan is to stick to the cars we’re fundamentally producing at the moment and generating a healthy return. As long as we’re generating healthy returns there’s no need to compromise our brands.’
Nash did admit that the company was testing a prototype EV to evaluate the potential of the technology for the carmaker, but he said that the compromise of the weight needed for the battery range and performance required would be too great: ‘Only when the technology can provide a true McLaren driving experience will we build an EV,’ he said.
McLaren has reiterated its promise that it has no plans to build an SUV. Sales and marketing boss Jolyon Nash told at the Beijing motor show that the company’s cars have a clear DNA and that it was important for any future cars to match up with that.
‘We’re reasonably comfortable with the template we’ve established with Sports Series and Super Series and I don’t see that changing enormously in the future,’ he explained. ‘I think we’re pretty clear on this at McLaren. Part of our success is that we’re consistent in what a McLaren is, and every car must be true to that DNA. It’s fundamentally a lightweight, mid-engined supercar/sportscar. Every car should live up to that and it should be engaging to drive.
Nash also said that he felt he would be breaking an unofficial agreement with the customers who have bought the company’s other cars if the firm did something more conventional. ‘We would not deliver on what our promise of what a McLaren is if we did an SUV,’ he said. ‘Management and shareholders are of the same view in this instance. Our business plan is to stick to the cars we’re fundamentally producing at the moment and generating a healthy return. As long as we’re generating healthy returns there’s no need to compromise our brands.’
Nash did admit that the company was testing a prototype EV to evaluate the potential of the technology for the carmaker, but he said that the compromise of the weight needed for the battery range and performance required would be too great: ‘Only when the technology can provide a true McLaren driving experience will we build an EV,’ he said.
