So Much for a Cheaper McLaren… There Won't Be Another Sports Car Below the Artura!

The Artura remains one of the most affordable McLarens for the moment, with the GT/GTS sitting at the base of the British automaker's portfolio. The Artura starts at around $237,000 but can go well above the $300,000 mark when checking several option boxes.

The sports car is powered by a newly developed twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine and an electric motor that pump out a combined output of 671 horsepower (680 metric horsepower). A dual-clutch eight-speed auto box puts the power down through the rear wheels.

The Artura runs from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 kph) in 3.1 seconds, hits 100 mph (160 kph) in 5.9 seconds, and runs the quarter mile in 10.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 205 mph (330 kph).

Meanwhile, the McLaren GT comes with 612 horsepower (620 metric horsepower) and 465 pound-feet (630 Newton meters) of torque, making it accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds. All these come with a starting price of $208,490.

And this is as low as McLaren goes in terms of pricing and specs. An executive confirmed that the Sports Series will not make a comeback. Therefore, we won't be seeing models such as the 540C, the 570S, or the 600LT making a comeback any time soon, if ever.

However, McLaren is considering an electrified successor to the McLaren 750S. The model is powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine, capable of generating 740 horsepower (750 horsepower) and 590 pound-feet (800 Newton meters) of torque.

Those are the numbers that make it accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds and run the quarter mile in 10.3 seconds. Top speed is electronically governed at 218 mph (350 kph).

Whatever McLaren rolls out will have to show more than that to make it competitive in a segment that is already juggling with a lot of horsepower coming out of electrified powertrains.

In a conversation with Carscoops, Jamie Corstorphine, McLaren's Director of Product Planning, confirmed that there is no other entry-level model coming to the lineup. He says that cars such as the 570S did not fit the definition of a "sports car." Meanwhile, the Artura plays its part right.

McLaren is almost ready to roll out an SUV

McLaren is, however, considering an SUV, despite purists slamming the idea. The SUV haters/sports car purists did this every time, and then, high-ride models turned out to be bestsellers. The Aston Martin DBX, the not-an-SUV Ferrari Purosangue, and the Lamborghini Urus have gained territory in the land of super SUVs.

The model might sit on the same platform as BMW's XM, the CLAR, and is either going to be a two-door or a four-door vehicle with a ground clearance higher than anything else in the McLaren range. The automaker is interested in building its first-ever SUV on an architecture that allows outputs above the 700-horsepower mark and supports all types of electrification, as it might also consider a full electric SUV.

If it decides to use an in-house platform, the British sports car manufacturer will go the hybrid way with its upcoming SUV, and the model might inherit the powertrain of the Artura.