(February 18, 2021) The all-new McLaren Artura revealed this week marks the beginning of both a new chapter for the pioneering luxury supercar company and a new era in supercar technology and performance. McLaren’s first series-production High-Performance Hybrid supercar focuses more than half a century of the company’s racing and road-car experience and expertise into a next-generation supercar that blends ground-breaking technology with McLaren’s dedication to pure driver engagement.

Underpinned by the McLaren philosophy of super-lightweight engineering, the all-new Artura is the distillation of every attribute inherent in a McLaren — distinctive design, unrivaled performance, dynamic excellence and engineering innovation — with electrification now bringing the additional benefits of even faster throttle response, lower emissions and being able to run in pure EV mode for emissions-free journeys of up to 19 miles.

All-new from the ground up, the Artura presented McLaren engineers and designers with new opportunities to innovate, chief among these being how to preserve McLaren’s super-lightweight engineering philosophy when adding hybrid powertrain elements including an E-motor and battery pack.

A demanding program of weight reduction, encompassing every area of the Artura from the chassis platform — this is the debut of the new McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA) — through to the uniquely compact HPH powertrain system and the weight of cabling used in the electrical systems (where a 10% reduction was achieved), resulted in the Artura having a lightest dry weight of 3,075 pounds. The total weight of the hybrid components is just 287 pounds (which includes an 194-pound battery pack and 34l-pound E-motor), resulting in a DIN curb weight of 3,303 pounds, which is on par with comparable supercars that do not have hybrid powertrains — giving the Artura a super-lightweight advantage.

“Every drop of McLaren’s experience and expertise has been poured into the Artura. Our all-new, High-Performance Hybrid delivers all of the performance, driver engagement and dynamic excellence for which McLaren is renowned, with the additional benefit of EV driving capability. The introduction of the Artura is a landmark moment – for McLaren, for our customers who will appreciate and enjoy this car on every emotional and rational level, and for the supercar world,” said Mike Flewitt, CEO, McLaren Automotive.

At the heart of the Artura’s powertrain is McLaren’s all-new, 2,993cc twin-turbocharged V6 gas engine. With a power output of 577bhp — nearly 200bhp per liter — and 431 lb ft of torque, the dry-sump aluminum engine is compact and lightweight; at just 353 pounds it weighs 110 pounds less than a McLaren V8 and is significantly shorter, enhancing packaging efficiency.

Designed to run with a Gasoline Particulate Filter to optimize emissions performance, the M630 engine is also extremely refined. The 120° v-angle of the engine, which allows the turbochargers to be positioned within the ‘hot vee,’ delivers further advantages in packaging as well as contributing to a lower center of gravity. The 120° layout increases engine performance by reducing the pressure losses through the exhaust system and allows for a stiffer crankshaft that enables a rev limit of 8,500 rpm, maximizing performance and driver engagement.

Working in harmony with the new V6 is the Artura’s compact axial flux E-motor, located within the transmission bell housing. Smaller and more power-dense than a conventional radial flux E-motor, it is capable of generating 94bhp and 166lb ft and boasts a power density per kilo 33% greater than the system used in the McLaren P1. The instantaneous nature of the motor’s torque delivery – known as ‘torque infill’ — is key to the car’s razor-sharp throttle response.

Exhilarating "off-the-line" performance sees the Artura achieve 0-60 mph in just 3.0 seconds, with 0-124 mph taking 8.3 seconds and 0-186 mph 21.5 seconds. Top speed is limited to 205 mph.

The dual propulsion systems are integrated via an engine disconnect clutch, driving an all-new, twin-clutch transmission, which has been developed specifically for the Artura. Despite having one more ratio than the existing McLaren transmission – to optimize power and torque delivery — the lightweight, short-ratio gear cluster is 1.6 inches shorter in length. It also requires no reverse gear — the E-motor takes care of reversing by literally rotating in the opposite direction.

The E-motor is powered by a battery pack comprising of five lithium-ion modules, offering a usable energy capacity of 7.4kWh and a pure EV range of 19 miles. The battery is refrigerant cooled using cooling rails, and the assembly — including a power distribution unit which transfers battery power from the rear of the vehicle to the ancillaries in the front – is mounted on a structural carbon fibre floor. This assembly is then bolted onto the rear base of the monocoque, optimizing stiffness, weight distribution and crash protection.

“From the very beginning of the project, designing and engineering the Artura has been all about challenging ourselves to innovate, pushing and pushing to achieve everything we knew a next-generation, High-Performance Hybrid McLaren supercar had to be. As a result, the Artura is all-new; the carbon fibre monocoque, electrical architecture and the body and interior are new," said  Geoff Grose, chief engineer, McLaren Artura.

"So too is the V6 engine, the transmission – which also integrates a new type of electric motor for the industry – as well as the rear suspension concept and our first-ever electronic differential.”

The supercar will start at $229,500. It arrives in U.S. stores in June.