Six years into a McLaren supercar’s career is starting to feel like an early retirement. According to an internal memo cited by trade press, the British manufacturer was planning to discontinue the McLaren Artura in 2028—only six years after the first deliveries in 2022. That prospect directly touches the brand’s first plug-in hybrid, and it arrives as its launch has already been marked by delays and early teething troubles.
The matter isn’t official yet; McLaren has not confirmed the timetable and has remained silent despite requests for comment. But the scenario that’s forming is clear: a scheduled end for the Artura by 2028, and in 2027 the arrival of a new hybrid V6 coupe, code-named P34, more powerful, more expensive, and already described internally as the next step in the lineup. It would suggest Woking is already getting ready to turn the page on the Artura, even though the book was supposed to be just beginning.
A First McLaren Hybrid with a Bumpy Road
The Artura holds a special place in McLaren’s recent history. It is the company’s first plug-in hybrid supercar, built on a new carbon chassis architecture called MCLA and powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 paired with an electric motor. The combined output is 671 hp, and it was envisioned as the entry in the Sports Series while appealing to younger, tech-savvy buyers in a context of tightening CO₂ regulations.
On paper, the formula ticks a lot of boxes. In reality, the launch has been messy. Sales were postponed multiple times before production finally started in 2022. Once the first cars were delivered, issues continued: quality problems, technical glitches, software updates… The situation forced McLaren to temporarily pause deliveries to address these defects. At the end of 2022, former CEO Michael Leiters acknowledged that the model wasn’t as polished as it should have been when it reached customers, explaining that “at the time, we were already significantly behind our production line and we had reduced production to zero cars per day to fix our quality issues”.
The P34 on the Horizon and a McLaren Lineup in Flux
If the Artura’s withdrawal in 2028 is confirmed, it would come as a new hybrid is already ready to take its place. According to several corroborating reports, McLaren is preparing for a new V6 hybrid coupe for 2027, code-named P34. While the Artura tops out at 671 hp, the P34 would aim for well over 800 hp combined, still centered on an electrified twin-turbo V6. The car would sit between the Artura and the 750S, with a target price around $313,000 to $315,000 (roughly €290,000 to €292,000) and roughly 1,000 units planned for the first year. Its arrival would follow the close of the 720S/750S/765LT family, capped by the upcoming 788HS, and precede Artura’s exit, turning its departure into a broad repositioning of the lineup rather than a simple model cancellation.
Meanwhile, McLaren is laying the groundwork for a much broader product push under new chief Nick Collins. Dealers have been told of a forthcoming hybrid V8 SUV for 2028, as well as a front-engine grand tourer described internally as a “luxury sedan-type grand tourer” intended to replace the current GTS. The network is expected to shift toward luxury boutique showrooms, with more than a million dollars (around €930,000) of investment required per dealership and about a 25% rise in aftersales capacity. One telling detail: in this new strategy, the P34 embodies the luxury-oriented, image-led McLaren hybrid, while the Artura appears to be slated for a technical milestone role—and a lifespan far shorter than initially imagined.
