McLaren Revs Up 2019 Hybrid Supercar

McLaren Automotive Ltd. says it is developing a limited-edition hybrid-electric supercar that will be the most powerful and aerodynamic model the company has ever produced.

Codenamed BP23, the new three-seater will team a high-capacity battery and electric motors with a 4.0-liter V-8 engine that outguns McLaren’s P1 model. The hybrid P1, which had a two-year production run that ended in late 2015, generated a combined 904 hp and 723 lb-ft of torque.

McLaren plans to launch a mainstream hybrid model in 2020 and offer hybrid systems in half its models by 2022. The BP23 also is expected to include elements of McLaren’s new carbon fiber structure that will arrive in 2020 to help offset the added weight of the hybrid powertrain.

McLaren released a sketch of the BP23, which it refers to as a hyper-GT model, on Wednesday. Deliveries are to begin in 2019.

The BP23’s design is said to have evolved from a one-off car built by McLaren's Special Operations for a collector as a spiritual successor to the company’s 1990s-era F1 car. Production will be limited to 106 vehicles, matching the F1’s total. BP23 customers will be chosen for their loyalty to McLaren and because they regularly drive their vehicles rather than own them as investments, the company says.

McLaren vows that the car’s 1+2 seating configuration with the driver centered in the cockpit will be more accessible than the F1, which had a similar layout.