[Auto] McLaren 'next generation' hybrid confirmed for 2021 launch

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McLaren has confirmed that its first series production hybrid, labelled a High-Performance Hybrid (HPH) supercar, will be launched next year as a replacement for its long-running Sports Series line.

Described by the Woking firm as a ‘next-generation’ supercar, the forthcoming machine will arrive in the first half of 2021 with a hybrid powertrain based on a new V6 petrol engine. McLaren has only previously used hybrid powertrains on range-topping machines such as the P1 and Speedtail.
McLaren says the new HPH supercar has entered the final stages of testing ahead of its launch. While technical details have yet to be revealed, McLaren claims it will deliver “astonishing levels of performance and a uniquely intense driving experience”. It will also offer “medium-range” electric-only running, which Autocar understands will be around 20 miles.

Autocar also understands that the system in the new car, which has previously been spied testing, will be a plug-in hybrid, with the power from both the turbocharged V6 and electric motors sent to the car’s rear axle.

The new HPH machine will be built on the new McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA) platform, which McLaren says has been optimised for the hybrid powertrain. It added that the new architecture takes the firm’s lightweight chassis technology “to new heights”, which will be key to McLaren’s intention to minimise the added weight due to the heavy batteries required for the electrified powertrain.

McLaren Automotive boss Mike Flewitt described the new McLaren HPH model, which has yet to be given an official designation, as “a new kind of McLaren for a new era, an extraordinary driver’s car that offers blistering performance as well as an all-electric range capable of covering most urban journeys”.

The HPH supercar is designed to sit between the recently launched GT and the Super Series 720S, the positioning that has traditionally been filled by the Sports Series line.

McLaren has confirmed the Sports Series designation, introduced for the 570S in 2015, will be dropped for the new hybrid model. That makes the limited-run 620R the final model in the Sports Series line.