McLaren Aeron SUV rendered

McLaren famously said it would never build an SUV, with one senior executive of the British supercar brand declaring “There is nothing cool about an SUV.”

But as the old saying goes, money talks and bullsh*t walks.

McLaren is now actively researching an all-electric dual- or tri-motor hyper SUV that could become available in the second half of this decade priced at an estimated $600,000.

How will the ‘never ever, OK maybe… alright we’ll do it’ McLaren SUV look? McLaren’s design team is keeping it a closely guarded secret, but that hasn’t stopped digital artist Tedoradze Giorgi whipping up this low-slung coupe-like SUV bearing McLaren badges.

The all-new McLaren SUV is expected to be an electric scorcher with four doors and four seats, as imagined here, but it may not be as big as the competitors like the Aston Martin DBX, Lamborghini Urus and upcoming Ferrari Purosangue.

With an angular exterior design motif, this vehicle looks to be roughly the size of a Porsche Macan and features twin exhaust outlets at the rear, which is a bit odd for an EV. There’s also a huge rear diffuser, plus a large rear roof spoiler above the steeply raked rear windscreen.

No official names have been attached to the cracking crossover, but McLaren has trademarked the Aeron, Aonic and Solus names, all of which could be in the running.

McLaren’s backflip on SUVs follows incoming CEO Michael Leiters’ comments confirming the British brand is not only studying an SUV but is actively seeking technical partnerships to reduce development costs.

The new McLaren boss helped engineer the Porsche Cayenne and Macan, then moved to Ferrari to develop the Purosangue, so it's clear he knows a thing or two about high-performance super-SUVs.

Stay tuned for more news on the McLaren SUV as we get it.