WOKING, ENGLAND - McLaren has given us a peek under the skin of its future supercars with the reveal of its brand new flexible architecture.
Set to underpin the next generation of electrified supercars, the new lightweight architecture was designed specifically to accommodate new hybrid powertrains, which will allow the sports car specialist to meet future emissions regulations without abandoning its internal combustion engines. However it will also allow McLaren to transition to 100 percent electric powertrains at some point in the future.
The first new McLaren supercar to be based around this architecture is set to appear in 2021.
McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt explained that the new ultra-lightweight carbon fibre chassis boasts greater structural integrity than before.
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“Our advanced expertise in lightweight 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.
According to McLaren, the new architecture makes use of innovative, world-first processes and techniques to strip out excess weight, while also improving crash protection.
The new chassis tub was designed in-house and will be manufactured at McLaren’s Composites Technology Centre in Sheffield.
Here’s How McLaren produces its new platform:
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