McLaren confirms P1 coming with 18 new models

McLaren has announced that it will transition hybrid powertrains and launch 18 new cars by 2025, including a replacement for the P1 hypercar.

Confirming a direct replacement for the P1 hypercar, the British supercar maker also said that the forthcoming Senna and three-seat BP23 would be joined by a raft of new models as the car maker moved towards a full-line up of hybrid vehicles by 2025.

Revealing its new updated 'Track25' product plans, the Woking-based car maker confirmed its new product plan at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

McLaren didn't reveal the full 18-strong line-up but it's thought that number includes a replacement for the current coupe and Spider version of the Sport Series (540C, 570GT 570S, 600LT) and an all-new Super Series (720S, 720LT) that's due later on.

As part of its ambitious plans, the British car-maker confirmed it would nearly double today's sales volumes of 3400 cars per year to more than 6000 units by 2025.

The first car to introduce the car-maker's next-generation hybrid powertrain is thought to be the replacement for the 570S that's due in 2020, although despite its claim of transition to a hybrid brand, it's thought Ultimate Series models like the recently introduced Senna could remain purely combustion enginepowered in a bid to satisfy purists.

Controversially, McLaren's move to hybrids could see the end to the V8 with a move to an electrified small-capacity V6 that the car-maker is already rumoured to be testing in 720S mules.

The all-new replacement for the 720S, meanwhile, isn't set to arrive until 2022.

The big news revealed is the P1 hypercar replacement was not only confirmed but announced that it would arrive before 2025.

Claimed to take performance to "another level", the next hypercar will be the "best driver's car on track and on road", says McLaren boss, Mike Flewitt.

“[A next-generation P1] was never going to be a halfway house model for us," Flewitt said. "It will be the ultimate expression of McLaren’s technology and performance prowess.”

When asked if the P1 would be pure-electric, Flewitt said he was "sceptical" that the technology would be "where it needs to be" but refused to rule out a battery-powered hypercar.

Admitting that it has been developing a pure-electric car for evaluation purposes since 2016, the CEO announced that McLaren is well underway in developing its next-generation advanced powertrains.

That includes creating a lighter, superfast charging high-power density battery that could provide more than 30 minutes of electric driving on track.

Interestingly, McLaren also announced it is investing in augmented and autonomous driving technology that could one day see its F1 driver, Fernando Alonso, virtually 'drive' your car on track to help you learn the ideal line through a corner.

McLaren also used the Goodwood Festival of Speed for its public debut of the 600LT.