McLaren’s all-new MP4-12C supercar will be lighter, greener, more efficient and more powerful than both its key rivals, the Ferrari 458 Italia and Mercedes SLS AMG, when it arrives in UK showrooms early next year.
The MP4 is now entering its final stages of development - having completed more than one million test miles on five continents - and building work is underway at the McLaren Production Centre where the car will be built from early 2011, although initial production will commence at the McLaren Technology Centre later this year.
McLaren will only build sportcarsMcLaren: 'F1 boosts road car'See the new McLaren MP4-12C pics
The MP4 has been given a target price of less than £175,000, and company boss Ron Dennis has pledged that buyers will not only get the fastest car money can buy, but also the highest build quality and highest level of dealer and aftersales support from any car manufacturer.
Initially 35 dealers will be set up worldwide - whittled down from an intial shortlist of 600. Cars will be available to order in two to three months time according to McLaren, which it has already had 1600 serious expressions of interest in buying the car.
MD Anthony Sheriff also stressed that McLaren has no desire to become a volume manufacturer: "We do not want the volumes of our rivals," he said, "we want exclusivity."
The MP4’s Ricardo-developed twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre 90-degree V8 engine will rev to 8500rpm, with its maximum 592bhp output arriving at 7000rpm. The peak 442lb ft of torque is available from 3000rpm, although 80 per cent is available between 2000-6500rpm. By comparison, the 458 produces 562bhp and 398lb ft and the SLS 563bhp and 479lb ft from their V8 engines.
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jmd67
Re: McLaren MP4 - new details + pics
Total rehash of things we already know. What's newsworthy here?
MattDB
Re: McLaren MP4 - new details + pics
A new supercar designed to be perfect and not a homage to history (SLS). Ferrari have taken a slighty new direction with the 458 but after they drive the new Mclaren I think Ferrari will change too.
The styling may be a bit bland, but the 458 is mould breaking in that it is the first pretty Ferrari for about 15 years and if we look at the Ferraris recent styling it too was more function over form.
rosstopher
Re: McLaren MP4 - new details + pics
[quote Autocar]McLaren’s all-new MP4-12C supercar will be lighter*, greener, more efficient and more powerful than both its key rivals, the Ferrari 458 Italia and Mercedes SLS AMG, when it arrives in UK showrooms early next year.[/quote]
EDIT * blander
Ektor
Re: McLaren MP4 - new details + pics
Let's not forget the overhyped and overpriced Lexus LF-A as a "rival", if only to see it get creamed by the Italian and the Mac. Perhaps then they'll get off their high horse (or not, I doubt that Lexus'll have any test cars available for comparison purposes).
Back to the McLaren, I'll just re-post what I mentioned on Mr. Sutcliffe's blog (which seems to have run dry), with a few touch-ups:
I believe that so far there is a general consensus that technically and dynamically it'll be brilliant but also that the flaws are many and major:
1) Generic and dull. Not ugly, mind you, but the shape is unispiring in a category, supercars (this is not a hot hatch, guys), who'se single highest prerequisite is "make my day"; you need to feel lust for a supercar the moment you see it, then when you sit in it, then when you start the engine, never mind the driving part! (of course that's critical, but AFTER covering the bases). You could add any wannabe-supercar badge to this car and it wouldn't look out of place (You know, Ascari, Gumpert, Koeniggsegg, Ginetta, et al). McLaren, please hire a top-level designer to fix this for the next generation (if there is one), whether it be Giugiaro, Ian Callum or, better yet, Peter Stevens, who I believe worked for you and designed 20 years ago something that, even today, looks better than this.
2) MP4/who?! Ladies, this is a road car, not a race car with an internal designation number which will only be known in years to come by anoraks. Now, Daytona, Ghibli, Miura, Esprit, Vantage, heck, even Panamera are evocative names! Please, hire someone with a minimum of marketing/brand management knowledge before you deep-six all the engineers' hard work!
3) Sales and service: Where, how many and by who. In the UK it'll be ok, since it's close to Woking, but how about the rest of the world? What happens when there's a recall and many cars reside in Dubai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beverly Hills, let alone the few in Buenos Aires? How long will it take to be repaired when there's a fender bender? A lot of homework to be done on that front.
All in all, impressive hardware, McLaren , but you better work on everything else. Hard.
every thing you...
Re: McLaren MP4 - new details + pics
I agree with most of Ektor's comments above but this is still near the top of my list of cars I'm most looking forward to this year. From what i've seen so far I'd take this over the Ferrari any day.batesym
Re: McLaren MP4 - new details + pics
anyone watching this.... i think i fell asleep. Get on with it ron. sounds like a shareholders meeting atm
AndyAU
Re: McLaren MP4 - new details + pics
It's obvious that the MP4 will be a cutting-edge car.
All this comparison bizzo is understandable, as McLaren have to prove themselves.
The queue for the F458 is as long as ever, and the SLS will have no problem selling.
Hopefully, the MP4 will also sell.
deppi
Re: McLaren MP4 - new details + pics
I totally agree with Etkor's post. These are really the biggest issues for this car! It looks like any other generic "supercar" manufacturer outside....and inside even Audi now makes interiors more exciting than this! Please McLaren if you are serious about competing with Ferrari change your super stuffy image a bit and make things more exciting. Let's be honest here...people who buy these cars (99% of them at least) buy them for the excitement it gives them when they look at it, when they sit inside and all the rest....not because it is 0.5s faster than another car. Look at what happened last year 2009 between Lamborghini and Ferrari: Lambo lost about 50% of sales year on year whilst Ferrari lost less then 10% with a wait list of about 2 year for its cars! Anyway I am sure it will sell especially well in UK but it really doesn't do it for me. I am planning to buy one of these cars next year and this is definitely not on the list.
Sandy T
Re: McLaren MP4 - new details + pics
Not arguing with the probable quality of the thing, styling aside, but what I read from the above is 'it's not ready yet but we can;t afford people to lose interest'. Which means all the hyperbole is currently just promises.
twyford
Re: McLaren MP4 - new details + pics
[quote Ektor]Ian Callum [/quote]
Yes then it can look like an Aston/Jaguar, he was clearly unable to come up with different design languages there.
I quite like the shape, the problem with it is that it lacks history, which is the problem for all the newer supercar marks. Companies like Zonda and Koenigsegg get around it by being completely OTT in their design, but if the core product is that good is it really a good idea. Take the Nobles, absolutely awesome cars but they are hardly visually stunning. What the 12C has is design cues that can now be built into the increasing range of McLaren road cars.
[quote Ektor] Now, Daytona, Ghibli, Miura, Esprit, Vantage, heck, even Panamera are evocative names![/quote]
Do you send the same complaints to Ferrari over the 355, 430, 599, etc etc?
[quote Ektor]What happens when there's a recall and many cars reside in Dubai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beverly Hills, let alone the few in Buenos Aires? How long will it take to be repaired when there's a fender bender? A lot of homework to be done on that front[/quote]
I thought they spoke quite extensively about the customer experience and network, how things would be handled. However I'm sure any smart, not to mention wealthy customer, would have the brains to ask "What happens when my young son, the Prince, wraps it around a palm tree?".
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