Mclaren look to marque Sheffield facility for next generation of supercars
McLaren have revealed the new flexible and lightweight vehicle architecture that will provide the backbone for their next generation of vehicles have been designed in its Sheffield facility.
The system, which is due to launch in 20120 ,has been designed to accommodate their new hybrid powertrains, has been entirely engineered, developed, and produced out of carbon fibre in-house at McLaren’s £50m state-of-the-art McLaren Composites Technology Centre (MCTC) in the Sheffield region.
The centre, which is located at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre has utilised innovative, world-first processes and techniques to strip out excess mass, reduce overall vehicle weight, while also further improving safety attributes.
Mike Flewitt, CEO of McLaren Automotive said, ““The new ground-breaking vehicle architecture is every bit as revolutionary as the MonoCell chassis we introduced with the company’s first car, the 12C, when we first embarked on making production vehicles a decade ago.
“This new, ultra-lightweight carbon fibre chassis boasts greater structural integrity and higher levels of quality than ever before with our new McLaren Composites Technology Centre facility quickly becoming recognised as a global centre of excellence in composite materials science and manufacturing.
“Our advanced expertise in light weight composites processes and manufacturing combined with our experience in cutting-edge battery technology and high-performance hybrid propulsion systems means we are ideally placed to deliver to customers levels of electrified high-performance motoring that until now have simply been unattainable.