2015 Mclaren 650s on 2040-cars

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McLaren is in no rush to follow Lotus into the electric hypercar segment

McLaren began testing an electric supercar in 2017 to learn the ins and outs of making a battery-powered hypercar. The technology that powers EVs has evolved since the project started, but it's not advanced enough to power a mass-produced model, one of the firm's top executives told Australian website Motoring. Weight is the main problem the company's research and development department is having a difficult time solving. An electric car is normally heavier than a comparable gasoline-powered car, because it relies on a big, bulky battery pack for power, and McLaren can't yet offset an electric powertrain's mass, according to the report. The easy way out would be to use a smaller battery pack that delivers less range, but McLaren is committed to offering an electric model that enthusiasts can drive flat-out on a track for at least 30 minutes, according to Jamie Corstorphine, the company's global marketing director. He told Motoring that his team is ready to wait as long as needed to release its first electric car; it won't compromise range, performance, or both just to make headlines. Development work is ongoing; McLaren will continue to put hybrid (pictured) and electric test mules through their paces in the foreseeable future. In 2018, CEO Mike Flewitt explained the automaker's philosophy is to leverage the benefits of a battery-electric powertrain to build a better sports car, not to merely make a cleaner one. He added fans of green performance shouldn't expect to see a McLaren without pistons before 2025, and it doesn't sound like that timeline has changed. The segment will get very crowded, very quickly. Rimac, Lotus, and Tesla are among the numerous firms committed to releasing a battery-powered hypercar in the coming years. They'll possibly beat McLaren to the punch, though we've learned to take targets with a V12-sized grain of salt, but the company's executive team isn't eyeing the ring with bragging rights in mind.

What McLaren's new boss has to say about the F1 team he just took over

You might have read recently that American Zak Brown will take over the reins of McLaren from Ron Dennis. That means Brown, a former pro racer with long-time ties to Formula 1, will also run the road-car business. But while that's important, his passion and more immediate focus is the F1 team, which has had some trouble taking on Mercedes-AMG Petronas recently. If you follow F1 and are keen to know what Brown plans to do to take the fight to Mercedes, you're in luck. Our friend and veteran motorsport journalist Marshall Pruett got Brown for a one-on-one interview, and it's insightful if you're a big McLaren fan, perhaps inspirational. Take a listen below, and if you like what you hear you can find more of Pruett's podcasts right here. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Related Video: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Motorsports McLaren Racing Vehicles

Autoblog Podcast #391

Episode #391 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Mike Harley and Brandon Turkus talk about the appointment of Kumar Galhotra to run Lincoln, changes coming for Scion, the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, and which cars won't live into 2015. We also take a quick detour to talk about the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge prototype, which Mike Harley just came back from driving. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the new rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along down below with our Q&A. Thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #391: Topics: 2015 Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge Prototype New boss at Lincoln Scion xB, iQ ending soon Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Cars that won't live to 2015 In the Autoblog Garage: McLaren 650S Hyundai Genesis Hosts: Dan Roth, Michael Harley, Brandon Turkus Runtime: 01:42:06 Rundown: Intro and Garage - 00:00 Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge - 30:05 Kumar Galhotra to Lincoln - 34:32 Scion Changes - 43:58 Dodge Charger Hellcat - 54:25 Discontinued Cars - 01:06:24 Q&A - 01:22:59 Get the podcast: [UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10 PM Eastern at UStream [iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes [RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Feedback: Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Podcasts Dodge Hyundai Infiniti Lincoln McLaren Scion Supercars mclaren 650s