McLaren’s first hybrid, the P1, arrived in 2012 as an acclaimed, epoch-shaping hypercar built in strictly limited numbers. This bodes well for the Artura, the British manufacturer’s first series-produced gasoline-electric car.
Expected in showrooms in 2021, the Artura is marketed as the first model in a new range of cars named High-Performance Hybrid (HPH). It’s built on an architecture developed specifically for electrification, and it’s primarily powered by a new twin-turbocharged V6 engine. Performance specifications haven’t been released yet; all we know is that the car delivers V8-like performance while giving users the ability to drive exclusively on electricity.
British magazine Autocar believes the Artura’s plug-in hybrid drivetrain will consist of the aforementioned V6, at least two electric motors, and a relatively compact lithium-ion battery pack. It adds that the system’s full output will be channeled to the rear wheels. In contrast, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale relies on a system that places two of the three motors over the front axle to zap the front wheels, giving the car through-the-road all-wheel-drive.
Hybrid technology is heavy, and weight is the sworn enemy of performance, but McLaren stressed it went to great lengths to offset as much of the system’s weight as possible. It built the Artua’s architecture using carbon fiber, and it explained it applied unspecified weight-saving techniques to the chassis, the body, and the powertrain.
Preview images released by McLaren suggests the Artura won’t attempt to conceal the internal combustion part of its powertrain. Its rear end is dominated by a cooling grille and a pair of round exhaust tips. It still wears the proportions of a mid-engined supercar, and it’s recognizable as a McLaren, but its design remains under wraps.
McLaren will begin delivering the Artura globally during the first half of 2021, meaning that we could see it before the end of 2020, and that it might be labeled a 2022 model when it arrives in the United States. And, unlike the P1 and the Speedtail, it will arrive as a regular-production model. Pricing hasn’t been released yet, however.
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