McLaren has confirmed plans for a performance SUV and £500 million UK investment, expanding on reports of a large investment programme last week.
The official announcement provides the first confirmation that McLaren Automotive will move beyond the two-seat supercars on which its model range has traditionally been based.
McLaren has now confirmed a larger £500m programme backed by shareholder L’IMAD, a sovereign investor owned by the Government of Abu Dhabi.
The funding will expand McLaren’s manufacturing, engineering and product development capabilities, including the construction of a new UK vehicle assembly facility.
It will provide the capacity required to manufacture a broader model portfolio, including the newly confirmed performance SUV.
McLaren has not disclosed a launch date, pricing or technical specifications for the SUV, but said it was building a “complete portfolio around the supercar”.
The manufacturer said the range would be carefully segmented to increase brand value, desirability and customer loyalty.
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Building a broader global customer base with new SUV
The move could give McLaren dealers access to a significantly broader customer base while offering existing supercar owners a more practical model for everyday use.
It will also place McLaren in more direct competition with Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin, which have already expanded into the high-performance luxury SUV market.
For the first time in its history, McLaren Automotive will design and manufacture future powertrains in-house in the UK.
The programme will begin with two new engines and transmissions and support the company’s continuing hybrid strategy, building on the technology introduced with the McLaren P1.
McLaren will expand operations at its production centre in Woking and its carbon fibre manufacturing and research facility in South Yorkshire.
The manufacturer has also recently opened a design and innovation centre at the McLaren Creation Centre in Bicester and a testing and vehicle development operation in the Midlands.
Investment will keep McLaren competitive “for decades to come”
These facilities will form an integrated UK operation covering design, engineering, vehicle development, carbon fibre production, powertrains and final vehicle assembly.
Nick Collins, chief executive of McLaren Group Holdings and McLaren Automotive, said: “This investment gives us the platform to grow, develop and build on what makes us distinctive, while investing in the people, technologies and products that will keep us competitive for decades to come.”
Collins took charge following the merger between McLaren Automotive and electric vehicle start-up Forseven in 2025.
The wider product expansion forms part of an attempt to strengthen McLaren’s financial position and generate more consistent sales volumes across its international dealer network.
Its most recent flagship launch was the £2m W1 hybrid hypercar, which McLaren described as the beginning of its next product chapter.
Production was limited to 399 examples, all of which were allocated before the car’s public unveiling.
Investment to support 1,000 jobs
The investment programme is expected to create at least 1,000 direct and indirect jobs across McLaren’s UK operations by 2032 while safeguarding existing roles.
McLaren said its UK manufacturing workforce would double, supported by new apprenticeships. It estimates that the expansion could create a further 3,000 jobs across the automotive supply chain.
Jassem Al Zaabi, managing director and group chief executive of L’IMAD, said: “Over the past 20 months, L’IMAD has worked closely with McLaren Automotive’s management team, supporting the business in sharpening its strategic direction and positioning itself for long-term growth.
“This investment reflects our confidence in its potential and our commitment to backing the business through its next chapter, building on the heritage, engineering excellence, and distinctive brand that has defined McLaren for more than six decades.”