McLaren rumored to be working on high-end electric SUV

As Lamborghini, Bentley, Aston Martin, Ferrari and other ultra-luxury brands scramble to launch high-performance SUVs, McLaren has been reluctant to follow suit, but now the company may It's time to make a change.

McLaren plans to launch an SUV after 2035, according to a report in British magazine Autocar.Autocar did not specify the source of this information.

The company has often said it has no plans to launch an SUV.The Autocar report said that could change since the appointment of Michael Leiters, who was an advocate for SUVs during his stint at other brands.

Image credit: McLaren

On July 1 this year, German engineer Leiters officially started as McLaren CEO.Previously at Ferrari, he was instrumental in launching the brand's first SUV, the Cayenne, and Porsche's upcoming Purosangue.He has yet to officially announce McLaren's plans for an SUV, too.

The McLaren SUV lineup will start with a "relatively low, compact" model, the report said, with "dual or triple motors, four-wheel drive" and a pure electric powertrain.

High-end SUVs are becoming more and more popular in the market.Global sales of the Aston Martin DBX have nearly doubled in 2021, while sales of Porsche's Macan and Cayenne already account for more than half of the brand's U.S. sales.Lamborghini's Urus also nearly doubled its Huracan supercar in global sales last year.

McLaren denied plans to launch an SUV in response to the report, with company spokesman Roger Ormisher saying the company has "no immediate plans to launch this model."