McLaren CEO says the first EV supercar will be a McLaren
- McLaren CEO has said the company has an EV supercar in the works
- He went on to say ‘if we are not able to do that then nobody else will be able to’
- The car would focus on weight as well as speed
Published on Jun 12, 2024 at 11:20 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jun 13, 2024 at 6:26 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
The CEO of McLaren has said he is ‘convinced’ the car manufacturer will be the first to create an EV supercar.
While the popularity of EVs continues to rise, it’s fair to say that as yet no one has been able to successfully tap into the fully-electric sports car market.
This is something the car manufacturer is hoping to change as it reveals it has an EV supercar in the works.
READ MORE! McLaren P1 successor tipped to cost close to $2 million
‘I am convinced the first EV supercar will be a McLaren.’
And, while others may not have fared so well, McLaren is confident – so much so that CEO Michael Leiters told Road and Track that if the company doesn’t step up to make an EV supercar ‘nobody else will be able to’.
Bold words.
Revealing that work was already underway, Leiters told the publication: “We have started and are working intensively on a pure electric powertrain.
“This should define how a [EV] supercar should be…
“I am convinced that the first EV supercar will be a McLaren.
“We understand what it means to make supercars, if we are not able to do that then nobody else will be able to.”
What would make McLaren’s EV different?
Of course, there are already fast EV cars on the market – such as the Lotus Evija, which has been dubbed the ‘most powerful car in the world’ – but Leiters went on to point out that his definition of supercar includes the vehicle’s weight, not just its speed and claimed that a ‘supercar that weighs two tons is no supercar’.
He added: “It is easy to have a better power output to increase the performance.
“This is longitudinal performance if you like. Acceleration.
“But the better question is, what is the lateral performance? You cannot deliver that if the weight is too high.”
Leiters is also not concerned about being able to find buyers for such a car; despite the fact other companies have struggled.
He explained that as a business McLaren needs to be prepared because ‘one day’ the market could swing and suddenly customers are asking for EV supercars.
The CEO also has faith in McLaren to design and manufacture a top-end vehicle – adding: “If you can build a really engaging, emotional product it can work.”
As yet, McLaren is still in the early stages of the project meaning details are scarce but we reckon this is definitely one to watch.
Claire Reid
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.
