McLaren P1 successor allegedly due in 2024 with plug-in power

McLaren's long-awaited follow-up to the P1 hypercar will make its debut by the end of 2024, according to a recent report. Tentatively called P18, the model will inaugurate a new, lighter plug-in hybrid drivetrain built around a V8 engine and break with tradition in several key ways.

Citing anonymous inside sources, industry trade journal Automotive News Europe described the P18 as "Formula One-inspired." Its plug-in system will develop more than 1,000 horsepower thanks in part to a new V8 engine, though the drivetrain's layout (including the number of motors) hasn't been revealed. The same sources revealed that the powertrain will weigh about 70% less than the system McLaren currently uses. And weight is why it won't be fully electric.

"Customers certainly appreciate the electric elements of a hybrid powertrain, but an electric McLaren must also be lightweight and deliver on the brand's signature driving performance — on the road and on the track. And, the technology is not there yet. It's not simply about straight-line performance. It has to be able to deliver 10 laps of sustained performance," product strategy director Jamie Corstorphine explained in the Automotive News Europe report.

Like the P1 (pictured), which was built from 2013 to 2015, the limited-edition P18 will be positioned as McLaren's halo model. "McLaren is putting everything into the car," a source told Automotive News Europe. It will reportedly feature a carbon fiber chassis with integrated seatbacks, 3D-printed parts in the suspension system, and Formula 1-inspired aerodynamic elements. Interestingly, the report claims that the P18 will be the first street-legal McLaren model not equipped with dihedral doors; it will instead receive a pair of roof-hinged gull-wing doors.