McLaren dubs new hybrid supercar ‘Artura’, here 2022

MCLAREN has put a name to its upcoming new hybrid supercar, a car which is set to kick-start the replacement for the current Sports Series.

Officially dubbed the Artura, the new model is expected to enter European showrooms sometime in the first half of next year and will be powered by a new-generation twin-turbo V6 hybrid powertrain – the first of its kind in a series production McLaren.

While exact details of the powertrain are yet to materialise, the general consensus is that it will be a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) system allowing for what McLaren describes as “everyday emission-free urban journeys”.

Labelled as a ‘High-Performance Hybrid’ (HPH), the Artura will also be the first model to ride on the all-new McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA), a platform set to underpin a whole new generation of hybrid models, including a P1 replacement due in 2024.

“Every element of the Artura is all-new – from the platform architecture and every part of the High-Performance Hybrid powertrain, to the exterior body, interior and cutting-edge driver interface – but it draws on decades of McLaren experience in pioneering super-lightweight race and road car technologies to bring all of our expertise in electrification to the supercar class,” McLaren Automotive chief executive officer Mike Flewitt said.

Accompanying the naming announcement was a pair of teaser images taken from the rear of the car showing the Artura’s badging and dual exhaust tips protruding from the back of the car, confirming it to be the camouflaged prototype revealed by McLaren last month.

Looking back at those camouflaged images, the design looks to be an evolution of the current 570S, albeit with wider hips and much bigger rear air intakes while the headlights mimic those of the more aggressive 720S by means of their small size and blacked out surrounds.

Despite the fact the Artura has not even officially debuted yet, it has been confirmed to be headed to both Australia and New Zealand as a full-time member of the McLaren line-up and while it is due to arrive sometime next year, McLaren Australia was unable to provide us with a specific ETA.

The Woking-based supercar specialist has sold 53 new cars Down Under so far this year ending October, down 18 units (-25.4%) on the 71 it managed over the same period last year.