McLaren’s once-a-decade debut augurs all-hybrid supercar future

McLaren’s once-a-decade debut augurs all-hybrid supercar future

Struggling manufacturer raised $196m last month from the National Bank of Bahrain

McLaren Automotive's first new vehicle chassis in a decade will carry a big burden, underpinning the supercar maker's launch into gas-electric hybrid models debuting next year.

The carbon fibre architecture unveiled Tuesday is purpose-built to enable the British manufacturer to transition entirely to electrified supercars, McLaren said in a statement. Its composites technology centre in Northern England's Sheffield region developed the chassis and will produce it.

McLaren has struggled in recent months as the coronavirus pandemic took a toll on sales and idled its Formula One racing franchise. It raised $196 million last month from the National Bank of Bahrain, an affiliate of Mumtalakat, Bahrain's sovereign wealth fund and its largest shareholder.

The company had previously warned it could run out of money by