LIGHTER, SAFER

McLaren has recently unveiled the lightweight framework that will underpin the next series of cars to leave the factory floor. The ‘flexible vehicle architecture’ as it’s called is built specifically to accommodate hybrid powertrains and has been developed in its entirety at McLaren’s Composites Technology Centre. The new architecture is said to cut down on excess mass, while also significantly improving safety attributes. The first hybrid supercar to use the new architecture will be launched in 2021. According to Mike Flewitt, Chief Executive Officer at McLaren Automotive, “The new groundbreaking vehicle architecture is every bit as revolutionary as the MonoCell chassis McLaren introduced with the company’s first car, the 12C, when it first embarked on making production vehicles a decade ago.”