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McLaren Automotive unveils new lightweight vehicle architecture
McLaren Automotive has unveiled the brand’s all-new, flexible, lightweight vehicle architecture that will underpin its next generation of electrified supercars.
The new architecture, designed specifically to accommodate new hybrid powertrains, has been entirely engineered, developed and produced in-house at McLaren’s state-of-the-art Composites Technology Centre (MCTC) in Sheffield.
The new flexible vehicle architecture utilises innovative, world-first processes and techniques to strip out excess mass, reduce overall vehicle weight, while also further improving safety attributes.
McLaren Automotive has unveiled the all-new, flexible, lightweight vehicle architecture that will underpin its next generation of electrified supercars / Picture: McLaren Automotive
The first new McLaren hybrid supercar to be based on the all-new architecture is set to launch in 2021.
Mike Flewitt, chief executive officer of McLaren Automotive, said: “The new ground-breaking vehicle architecture is every bit as revolutionary as the MonoCell chassis we introduced with the company’s first car, the 12C, when we first embarked on making production vehicles a decade ago.
“This new, ultra-lightweight carbon fibre chassis boasts greater structural integrity and higher levels of quality than ever before with our new MCTC facility quickly becoming recognised as a global centre of excellence in composite materials science and manufacturing.
“Our advanced expertise in light weight composites processes and manufacturing combined with our experience in cutting-edge battery technology and high-performance hybrid propulsion systems means we are ideally placed to deliver to customers levels of electrified high-performance motoring that until now have simply been unattainable.”
Flewitt said the new architecture would enable McLaren to transition to 100 per cent electrified supercars. He concluded: “For us, light-weighting and electrification go hand-in-hand to achieve better performance as well as more efficient vehicles.”