<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="64813" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="McLaren">McLaren</keyword> just introduced an all-new platform that's meant for its upcoming generation of <keyword id="163386" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="hybrid-cars">hybrid cars</keyword>.</li><li>The first McLaren <keyword id="92836" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="hybrid">hybrid</keyword> supercar to use that platform will launch in 2021.</li><li>McLaren will stop building traditional engines that rely on gasoline by 2030, according to the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/162202b1-26e5-40b7-9ed8-3bcccff01f96">Financial Times</a>.</li></ul>Boutique British automaker McLaren has only ever made two hybrid models. The <a href="https://www.cars.mclaren.press/releases/802">first</a> was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mclaren-p1-vs-the-laferrari-2014-10">the P1</a> in 2013. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-375th-mclaren-p1-2015-12">Only 375 were made</a>. The second was <a href="https://jalopnik.com/the-2019-mclaren-speedtail-has-flexible-carbon-fiber-th-1830020270">the Speedtail</a> in 2018. Only 106 were built. Since then, it's been gasoline all the way. But that's about to change.On Tuesday, McLaren <a href="http://media.mclarenautomotive.com/releases/817#gallery">introduced</a> an all-new platform intended to underpin its upcoming generation of electrified supercars. Designed specifically for future hybrid powertrains, the new carbon-fiber platform will ensure the cars are lightweight and safe. McLaren said the first hybrid supercar built on the platform will launch next year. The new architecture is a sight that should be familiar to those who know how the automaker builds its current cars, since modern McLarens use versions of the company's carbon-fiber <a href="https://www.motortrend.com/news/body-on-frame-vs-unibody-vs-monocoque-what-is-the-difference/">monocoque chassis</a> design. "Monocoque" is French for "<a href="https://www.irjet.net/archives/V6/i5/IRJET-V6I5311.pdf">single shell</a>," acting as a central structure in cars for heightened strength and rigidity. <div type="image" title="McLaren monocoque chassis" height="1667" width="2500" msid="77750816" hostid="261"></div>The move toward hybridization is part of McLaren's plan to stop production of gasoline engines by the decade's end, according to a recent <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/162202b1-26e5-40b7-9ed8-3bcccff01f96">Financial Times</a> story about the company's long-term plan to shift to EVs. The outlet's Peter Campbell reported that while McLaren will busy itself with building hybrid supercars over the course of the next 10 years, the ultimate goal is to "cease any traditional engine development by 2030."McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt told the Financial Times: "We will be developing engines for the next 10 years, selling for the next 15 years, but we expect a lot of the world to be aligning around the 2035 date [for a full shift to electric cars]."The new hybrid platform will allow drivers to charge their cars via plugs and drive more than 18 miles on battery-only power, the Financial Times noted. We won't see an all-electric McLaren until the back half of the decade, however, due to weight, performance, and range constraints, Flewitt said. <div type="image" title="McLaren Speedtail" height="4354" width="5804" msid="77750822" hostid="261"></div>In 2018, McLaren announced its $1.6 billion "Track25" <a href="https://cars.mclaren.press/en-us/releases/596">business plan</a> that included launching 18 new models and having its entire lineup be hybrid by 2025. It's unclear if that plan has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/26/mclaren-layoffs-1200.html">CNBC</a> reported in May that McLaren planned to lay off about a quarter of its workforce in restructuring efforts related to the virus. In the story, McLaren said it had to suspend retail and manufacturing, as well as cancel its motorsports events — all of which "severely" impacted the company.

McLaren's newest vehicle platform is designed to take it toward an entirely electrified future

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5dcc32c33afd3753b772f9ec-1881/large-11543-mclaren-elva.jpg" border="0" alt="8_McLaren Elva" data-mce-source="McLaren" data-link="http://media.mclarenautomotive.com/en-us/releases/759" /><a href="http://media.mclarenautomotive.com/en-us/releases/759">McLaren</a>McLaren's Elva roadster.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/mclaren">McLaren</a> has debuted its latest supercar: the Elva roadster.</li><li>The $1.68 million Elva roadster is a first of its type for McLaren. It doesn't have a roof, windshield, or windows; instead, an "Active Air Management System" cocoons passengers by changing the airflow around them.</li><li>The Elva is an homage to the M1A of the 1960s, a car designed by founder and champion racer Bruce McLaren.</li><li>Only 399 examples will be made.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>McLaren just debuted its latest supercar: the $1.68 million "Elva.""It's fitting that the new McLaren Ultimate Series roadster - a uniquely modern car that delivers the ultimate connection between driver, car, and the elements and with that new heights of driving pleasure on-road or track - acknowledges our rich heritage with the Elva name," McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt said.The Ultimate Series is what it sounds like: McLaren's most outrageous machine. The Elva joins the Senna, Senna GTR, and Speedtail.McLaren has never before produced an open-cockpit design, and the British brand's debut effort is unique: it lacks a roof, windshield, or windows (a fixed windshield add-on is available, however). The automaker said its first open-cockpit vehicle makes for an "incredibly immersive and enthralling experience."Only 399 examples of the car will be made, each going for $1.68 million.Elva also has a bespoke carbon fiber chassis, body, and seats. The Elva is "the lightest road car we've ever built at McLaren Automotive," vehicle line director Andy Palmer said in a statement.The window-less vehicle pays homage to the 1960s-era M1A racer, designed by founder Bruce McLaren. That car had a potent V8 and distinctive, lightweight-resin bodywork. Customers wanted to get their hands of a road version so badly that McLaren, a small operation, partnered with England's Elva Cars Ltd. to build three iterations of the machine: the McLaren-Elva M1A, M1B, and M1C.The automaker also claims the "shapes (of the car) are organic and natural ," with the only disruption being the instrument cluster.There is no clear distinction between the interior and exterior of the car, McLaren noted. This creates a "blurred boundaries" design. The doors and buttress behind the seats flow into the cabin. The front of the car is made of a one-piece panel that wraps around the entire nose, creating a clean appearance. Similarly, the body panels wrap from the front wheels to the active rear spoiler.In terms of safety, helmets aren't required because the upper cabin surrounds around its passengers. There's also an Active Air Management System (AAMS) that cocoons occupants by changing the airflow and directing it over the heads of driver and passenger, creating a "bubble of calm," according to the automaker. This is done by in-taking air through the nose of the car and funneling it up through a vent.The AAMS will automatically activate as the speed of the car increases. Keep scrolling to check out this new piece of high-tech insanity from the Wizards of Woking:

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McLaren's newest vehicle platform is designed to take it toward an entirely electrified future

Kristen Lee

McLaren's newest supercar, the $1.69 million Elva roadster, has no windshield, roof, or windows

Brittany Chang