SUVs and crossovers sales are sky rocketing. For example, in 2021 Porsche delivered a total of 300,000 examples of the Macan and Cayenne but only 38,644 examples of the iconic 911 sports car. For Lamborghini, the recently launched Urus is a hit with a total of 5,021 units sold in 2021 - almost double the sales of the Huracan. Also, for Aston Martin the DBX sales doubled in 2021, up to a total of 6,182 units - about half of all Aston Martin global sales in the same period.

In a world where everyone goes for big cars, trying to keep exclusivity over volume and profit is going to be very difficult, so McLaren will have no other option than to follow the trend.

Rumors about a possible McLaren SUV started pretty much at the same time with rumors about Ferrari and Lamborghini SUVs. But while the two Italian brands confirmed and launched their models, McLaren said many times that it has no desire to build a model like that. The company even went as far as saying that there are enough SUVs in the world and adding one to its lineup will dilute the McLaren brand. That was back in 2018 when Mike Flewitt was still McLaren's CEO. Last year he retired as CEO, and he was replaced by Michael Leiters - yes, the man responsible for the original Porsche Cayenne and the more recent Ferrari Purosangue. Under his leadership, McLaren has finally warmed up to the idea of building an SUV.

According to the British magazine Autocar, McLaren is working on a brand-new high-performance crossover, and it should hit the market in the second half of this decade. Even more important, the SUV will only be offered as an electric vehicle, with no hybrid or combustion engine versions considered. In fact, the news that the SUV will offer no gasoline-powered version should come as no surprise, considering that McLaren announced its entire range will be hybrid by 2024.

The model will be built as a direct competitor to the Aston Martin DBX 707 - the world’s fastest and most powerful SUV, at least at the time of this writing. Just as a reminder, its V-8 engine delivers a total of 697 horsepower and pushes the car from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.1 seconds and up to 193 mph. McLaren's SUV will be a compact vehicle, will sit low to the ground, and will be powered by a dual- or a tri- electric motors. All-wheel drive will be a must, along with "exalted performance levels." As for the price, Autocar reports it will be priced close to £350,000 - about $425,000 at the current exchange rates.