A 'more affordable' McLaren? It doesn't sound very likely, but that's what the British sports car maker wants to offer customers in 2015.
The firm's new vehicle, codenamed the P13, will blow a £120,000 hole in buyers' wallets – which is still ten times more than your average hatchback. However, compared to the company's other products, such as the £866,000 P1 hypercar, the P13 will be affordable for a lot more people.
But going down into this sector brings with it fierce competition from the likes of the Audi R8, as well as fellow British sports cars such as the Aston Martin DB9 and the Bentley Continental GT.
However, Mike Flewitt, CEO of McLaren Automotive, is unfazed by these well-bred rivals, saying, "I would be disappointed if it [the P13] wasn't the best driving car in the segment it went into."
The P13 will be much more useable than other McLarens, but will shy away from any 2+2 configuration. So for a road trip in Europe or elsewhere, our advice is to buy something a little more spacious; the p13 will still be a thoroughbred sports car.
And Flewitt is keen to stress the McLaren brand cannot go any cheaper than the P13 since, "below that we can't have the cutting edge technology we need."
McLaren hopes to build 3,500-4,000 units in 2016 – a huge increase from the 1,400 built last year. The P13 will, it is hoped, account for the bulk of expanded sales figures.
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