McLaren has spent years insisting an SUV would never wear its badge. That stance is now officially history.
The British supercar manufacturer has confirmed plans to launch a high-performance SUV before the end of the decade, putting it directly into the territory occupied by the Ferrari Purosangue, Lamborghini Urus and Aston Martin DBX.
McLaren Commits £500 Million To Expansion
Confirmation comes alongside a major £500 million (approximately R10.95 billion) investment into McLaren’s UK operations.
The programme will expand the company’s manufacturing footprint and is expected to create at least 1,000 jobs across the business by 2032.
Central to those plans is a new UK assembly facility separate from McLaren’s existing Woking operation. It will be capable of producing the company’s next generation of vehicles, including what McLaren now officially describes as a performance SUV.
Specific details about the SUV remain under wraps, but its existence is no longer speculation.
Carbon Fibre Chassis Under Consideration
McLaren COO Michael Straughan has indicated that the company is evaluating whether the SUV could use a carbon fibre structure similar in principle to the tubs found beneath its supercars.
The model is expected to arrive before 2030 and could become the starting point for additional front-engined, all-wheel-drive McLarens.
Reports from dealer presentations have already provided a possible glimpse of what is coming. Dealers were previously shown an SUV said to have proportions similar to a more muscular Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT, complete with enormous 24-inch wheels.
That ties in with earlier reports surrounding McLaren’s SUV programme, which has previously been linked to the internal P47 designation.
McLaren’s Attitude Towards SUVs Has Changed Dramatically
The announcement represents quite a turnaround.
During the 2010s, former McLaren management repeatedly dismissed the possibility of joining the SUV market. The company argued that larger, heavier vehicles simply did not fit with its lightweight supercar philosophy.
Times have changed.
McLaren’s leadership has also changed significantly since then, with the company increasingly looking beyond the traditional two-seat supercar market as it attempts to increase production and improve profitability.
There is a clear financial argument for doing so. McLaren produced roughly 2,000 vehicles across its entire range during 2025. Ferrari, meanwhile, is estimated to produce as many as 3,000 Purosangues annually, while Lamborghini’s Urus operates at an even greater volume.
For McLaren, one successful SUV could dramatically increase its potential customer base.
New McLaren Hybrid Engines Coming Too
The SUV isn’t the only major change taking place behind the scenes.
McLaren has also confirmed that its engines will no longer be manufactured by long-time supplier Ricardo. Future powertrains will instead be designed and produced in-house.
Two new hybrid engines and accompanying transmissions are already under development, although McLaren has not yet revealed which future models will receive them.
The timing suggests the company’s next generation of cars will represent a substantial technical shift, rather than simply replacements for today’s Artura and 750S.
A Very Different McLaren Is Coming
McLaren entering the performance SUV market would have sounded almost impossible a decade ago. Now it looks like one of the most important products in the company’s future.
The challenge will be retaining enough of McLaren’s lightweight, driver-focused character in a larger four-door package. Ferrari has already demonstrated with the Purosangue that a high-riding four-door can still deliver genuine supercar character, while Lamborghini has turned the Urus into a hugely important part of its business.
McLaren will now attempt to do the same, but in its own way.