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A key McLaren executive says the brand will continue to retain hybrid and petrol engines "for many years to come" despite stringent emission laws in various countries.
As car makers feel the pressure of electrification amid stricter emission laws from countries like Australia, a key McLaren executive said the brand will continue to offer hybrid powertrains and internal combustion engines with its models indefinitely.
In an exclusive interview with Drive, project manager for the W1 hypercar, Heather Fitch, said its hybrid powertrains – which have been in McLaren’s catalogue since 2013, starting with the P1 – are versatile enough to justify continuing in the long term.
“We think V8 hybrids, and hybrids in general, like the [ones found in] the Artura, the P1, the Speedtail, give us so much more flexibility and so much more breadth. That’s why we [continue] to bring them into our cars,” Fitch explained.
“In terms of the future, we see a continued role for hybrids for many years. The same [can be said] for the internal combustion system. They’re obviously fantastic engines, fantastic packages, they give us a lot as a brand, and so we see a continued role for them in the years to come.”
While some brands have started adjusting their local line-up to accommodate Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) – which will penalise car makers exceeding specific CO2 emission targets – McLaren isn’t worried, despite currently only offering one hybrid model in the Artura.
McLaren’s Australia and New Zealand sales boss Dan Hotchin told Drive: “No [we're not worried].
“Ultimately, we have to work within the regulations of multiple countries around the world. We have a team based in the UK that works with all government regulatory officials around the world.”
The McLaren W1 hypercar is the latest model from the brand’s illustrious ‘1’ hypercar series, which also features the iconic McLaren F1 (launched in 1992) and its last predecessor, the P1 (unveiled in 2013).
As reported by Drive in January 2025, the W1 is powered by a new flat-plane-crank V8 engine that’s mated to a “motorsport-derived” radial-flux electric motor.
The British marque quotes a combined power output of 938kW/1340Nm – making the W1 the fastest and most powerful car in the brand’s history.
As a reference, the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine found in the McLaren Speedtail has an output of 772kW, while the P1’s 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine has 674kW.
Additionally, the W1’s hybrid powertrain also dwarfs its first ancestor’s engine, with the F1’s 6.1-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine quoted at 461kW.
Ethan Cardinal graduated with a Journalism degree in 2020 from La Trobe University and has been working in the fashion industry as a freelance writer prior to joining Drive in 2023. Ethan greatly enjoys investigating and reporting on the cross sections between automotive, lifestyle and culture. Ethan relishes the opportunity to explore how deep cars are intertwined within different industries and how they could affect both casual readers and car enthusiasts.
