Flewitt says the cutting-edge technology behind the new architecture and drivetrains, delivers on all fronts, “For us, light-weighting and electrification go hand-in-hand to achieve better performance as well as more efficient vehicles.”
The new flexible vehicle architecture will replace the MonoCell which has underpinned road-going McLaren’s since the MP4-12C in 2011. It utilises innovative, world-first processes and techniques to strip out excess mass, reduce overall vehicle weight, while also further improving safety attributes.
Above: Salman, Crown Prince of Bahrain with Mike Flewitt and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the opening of the McLaren Composites Technology Centre.
Flewitt promises the next-gen carbon fibre tub will be just as revolutionary as the MonoCell, “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,”
Designed specifically to accommodate new hybrid powertrains, the new architecture has been entirely engineered, developed and produced in-house in the UK at McLaren’s £50m state-of-the-art McLaren Composites Technology Centre (MCTC) in the Sheffield region.
Once the new technology has been produced at the Sheffield location, it will then be transported to McLaren’s car plant in Woking, located approximately 278km to the south.
It will underpin the next generation of McLaren hybrid models as the supercar company enters its second decade of series vehicle production, the first new McLaren hybrid supercar based on the all-new architecture is expected to be released next year.
