{"id":38683,"date":"2011-04-25T16:49:50","date_gmt":"2011-04-25T20:49:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=38683"},"modified":"2011-04-25T16:49:50","modified_gmt":"2011-04-25T20:49:50","slug":"mclaren-plans-much-broader-range-of-supercars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2011\/04\/mclaren-plans-much-broader-range-of-supercars\/","title":{"rendered":"McLaren Plans \u201cMuch Broader\u201d Range of Supercars"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The McLaren MP4-12C will be followed by a number of other sports cars, says McLaren's managing director.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

British supercar maker McLaren is planning to follow up on the introduction of its MP4-12C with a \u201cmuch broader\u201d range of high-end sports cars, a senior executive tells TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n

By using lightweight materials, like carbon fiber, and other advanced technologies, McLaren Managing Director Antony Sheriff says the maker \u2013 best known for its successful Formula One team \u2013 should be able to meet stiff new fuel economy and emissions standards.\u00a0 But he also hints that McLaren is looking at ways to integrate battery-based propulsion systems into some of its future offerings.<\/p>\n

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News Now!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The McLaren MP4-12C will arrive in nine U.S. showrooms later this year carrying a price tag of $229,000.\u00a0 But it is just the first model the maker has been working on, Sheriff revealed during a lengthy conversation following the New York Auto Show\u2019s annual media preview.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetween the various models (under development), we\u2019ll have something new about once a year,\u201d the executive explained.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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McLaren's Antony Sheriff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The executive declined to provide many details about future product programs, though he stressed that the company will \u201cstick to building two-seat sports cars\u201d that can make use of \u201ca whole room of Formula One technology\u201d McLaren has available.<\/p>\n

The additional models will cover a range of \u201cdifferent price points,\u201d both above and below the MP4-12C, according to Sheriff.<\/p>\n

The first model to come to market since the maker\u2019s SLR joint venture with Mercedes-Benz, the MP4 relies on a 600 horsepower, 3.8-liter engine that yields missile-like acceleration, said the 48-year-old Sheriff, who joined McLaren Automotive in 2003.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe car will peel the skin off your face,\u201d he suggested.<\/p>\n

The entire product program has a development and production budget of $1 billion, he noted.\u00a0 The venture has already pulled together \u201ca few $100 million\u201d to get underway, and expects to be able to generate enough cash, going forward, to remain self-funding.\u00a0 \u201cWe have no debt,\u201d boasted Sheriff, with no plans to take on any.<\/p>\n

Asked what would happen if things don\u2019t work out as well as planned, Sheriff insisted he is \u201cnot worried about\u201d that possibility.\u00a0 \u201cOne good thing about having a Formula One team,\u201d he suggested, \u201cis that you have a Formula One mentality.\u00a0 If there\u2019s a problem you don\u2019t get phased, you get it fixed.<\/p>\n

One concern is how McLaren will handle increasingly tough European and U.S. mileage standards.\u00a0 The executive noted there are exceptions for small companies like McLaren in the European regulations.\u00a0 But he added that that McLaren is being \u201cambitious\u201d in terms of aiming for higher mileage than the traditional supercar \u2013 a benefit of using lightweight carbon fiber and advanced turbocharge technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t see this legislation as a threat.\u00a0 We see it as a challenge,\u201d Sheriff claimed.<\/p>\n

Also expect to see McLaren find ways to utilize battery power \u2013 something it is already working with in its Formula One efforts.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0It has found ways to generate as much as one horsepower out of a lithium-ion cell the size of a conventional AA battery, said Sheriff.\u00a0 The challenge is to find ways to use that technology in a road-going automobile.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even before it launches its new MP4-12C supercar, McLaren is hard at work on a “much broader” range of 2-seat supercars, says Managing Director Antony Sheriff, in an interview with TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35468,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38683"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38683"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=38683"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=38683"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=38683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}