Q: Electric vehicle (EV) is the buzzword now. Are you planning for an immediate transition to EVs?
I think you’ve seen our plan. The car launched in India today (Friday), the new McLaren Artura, is a hybrid, with an electric capability. It is not a mild hybrid as it has the engine and it’s also a full plug-in. So, there is the capability to switch between powertrains. For McLaren, that’s probably quite a significant step towards electrification. Even when we engineered, we engineered it very specifically and we have this philosophy that everything is for a reason.
In this particular case, hybridization was developed in a way to actually improve the performance criteria of the car. It gives a capability, a non-disturbing capability, when you come home late at night, or leave early in the morning. If you choose, you can run in electric mode in every traffic situation. The challenge of Russell’s battery with an electric motor combined with an ice engine is difficult to achieve the right weight. Many efforts were made to try and compromise and take out some of the weight that comes with the new technology. So from a pure electrification point of view, lightweight capability is difficult for McLaren to achieve. Because the technology, in particular for batteries, is not there yet. So, when the technology advances into some more stages to make them lighter, I think we would see what we’re able to do.Q: Do you think the sports car fan base would shrink when or if their manufacturers shift to electric vehicles in the near future?
I don’t think it will. I don’t think it’s yes, or no. I think it’s a bit of an unknown now. You have to remember that generationally, people are evolving and developing over time. So, if I were to inflict that onto my generation, if he didn’t, if I asked my children the same question, , I think that there is a love for beauty. There’s a love for form and there’s a love for shape and speed. But I think there’s also a love for engagement. I think that you get a lot of that for an IC engine. Whether or not that can be replicated in electrification, I don’t know, I think our tour is probably the perfect blend between the two.
Q: What are the major challenges that you face in the Indian market now?
At the moment, I’d say we’re pretty pleased with the progress, to be honest, with the exceptionally strong business partners. I am not saying that just because they sit next to me, I really mean it. They are really excellent at understanding what the brand is and understanding how to support the brand and the customers locally. I think our biggest challenge would be how do we get more people to experience a McLaren more quickly. I think, once you experience it, there’s nothing like it. It’s very powerful in its own right. So I think that connecting with all of those people to give them an experience that’s worthy of it is probably our biggest challenge at the moment. That’s going to come when we get a better developed infrastructure that’s coming slowly. Possibly even a couple more racing tracks in the country would be very useful.
Q: Does McLaren plan to enter the high performance SUV market likits competitors?
I think that if I could recollect what our CEO, Michael Leiters, said, the challenge for McLaren is always going to be how it fits with the core DNA of the product, and that’s, you know, lightweight sports cars. But I think that we cannot ignore the fact that it (SUV) is a big growing segment. I think it’s something that Michael openly admits: he’s a fan of SUVs. It’s a segment that is of interest but not in the near or medium term.
