Future McLaren cars will be hybrids and autonomous

Autocar reported today that McLaren's CEO Mike Flewitt wants to bring in hybrid technology for next-generation McLaren sports cars, with the electrified tech baked in from the beginning rather than adding it on after the fact.

"Hybrid design is part of the next platform," Flewitt said. "It is designed-in from day one rather than having to adapt an existing chassis."

The British manufacturer would even offer hybrid-only models in most product lines, rendering conventional, non-hybrid McLarens as limited editions only. The powertrain in the strongest-selling hybrid cars would feature a turbo V6, reports Autocar. The upcoming BP23 hypercar will already have an electric motor and a battery pack backing up its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8.

Flewitt also confirms that future McLaren cars will have autonomous capabilities, which is certainly an interesting move by a driver-centric specialty car manufacturer. Flewitt acknowledged this, but noted that "Autonomy in its own right isn't that appealing to our customers, but we need to have capabilities designed in for safety, legislation and emissions."

The first model to be replaced with a hybrid successor would be the entry-level 570S, reportedly by next year. The electrification would then continue until the 2022 replacement of the 720S.