McLaren planning to build up lineup; toying with battery powered options

Posted on 04.26.2011 20:00

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Mclaren | coupe | sports cars | electric cars | future cars | McLaren MP4-12C | Cars | Car News With a successful Formula One team under their belt, McLaren is taking on a "broader range" for their lineup with the planned addition of a number of high end sports cars according to a senior executive for the company. The new MP4-12C was only the first model of a long range of vehicles set to take on the ever-increasing fuel economy and emission standards by using lightweight materials like carbon fiber, along with other advanced technologies. McLaren Managing Director, Antony Sheriff, says McLaren is planning to use battery-based propulsion systems in its future models to achieve this type of performance, most recently getting as much as one horsepower out of a lithium-ion cell the size of a conventional AA battery.Sheriff goes on to say that McLaren will continue to build two-seat sports cars that take full advantage of the Formula One technology they have available, and that they will debut one model each year. The full range of new models will sit at “different price points,” both above and below the MP4-12C.When asked what type of backup plan McLaren had in place in case things did not work out as planned, Sheriff simply stated that he was “not worried about” that as an option. He went on to add, “One good thing about having a Formula One team is that you have a Formula One mentality. If there’s a problem you don’t get phased, you get it fixed.”That “get it fixed” mentality may take them a long way as European and U.S regulations aren’t going anywhere and will more than likely get stricter in the coming years. Sheriff addressed that as well, stating that there are exceptions for small companies like McLaren in the European regulations and that McLaren is shooting for higher mileage than necessary to combat the changing regulations.“We don’t see this legislation as a threat. We see it as a challenge,” Sheriff claimed. gallery: 2011 McLaren MP4-12C

McLaren planning to build up lineup; toying with battery powered options originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 26 April 2011 20:00 EST. read more