McLaren Automotive has officially launched the Artura in India at a price starting from Rs 5.1 crore (ex-showroom, India). The high-performance hybrid electric vehicle is the British sports car manufacturer’s third model for sale in India, after the GT and the 720S.
While the company didn’t share the sales target for the new car, it has confirmed that one unit of this model has already been delivered to a customer in Mumbai.
Just like McLaren’s other products here, the Artura will be imported as a completely built-up unit, which entails 100 percent import duty. The super luxury sports car maker’s products are designed at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England, before being hand-built at the adjoining McLaren Production Centre.
"We had a market share of around about 25 percent of the Indian super sports car market last year. We only established our business in Mumbai a year ago. We come to India in the first place partly because of demand from Indian customers. And secondly because of the huge fan base here for sports cars and for McLaren particularly. The combination of those two things and the growth potential that exists in this marketplace is just phenomenal,” said Paul Harris, Managing Director, Asia-Pacific and China, McLaren Automotive.
He added that although McLaren is interested in exploring all-electric and SUV models for global markets, nothing has been firmed up for these segments.
Specs
The Artura Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) has four powertrain modes: E-mode, Comfort, Sport and Track. It is powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine that generates 577bhp of maximum power and 584 Nm of peak torque. The turbocharged petrol engine is assisted by an electric motor that develops an additional 94bhp of power and 225 Nm of peak torque. The engine is paired with an 8-speed transmission.
According to the company, the hybrid supercar can accelerate from 0-100 kmph in just 3 seconds while it reaches 200 kmph from zero in 8.3 seconds. The top speed is electronically limited to 330 kmph, the company said.
Being the first company model to have the McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA) the Artura has a kerb weight of only 1,489 kg, the company claims.
“The McLaren Artura sets new standards for advanced, flexible chassis design and has been optimised for hybrid applications through the bespoke battery compartment, domain-based ethernet electrical architecture, as well as electrical heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (eHVAC) system,” the company said in a statement,
Lalit Choudary, Chairman and Managing Director of McLaren Mumbai, stated that the brand had delivered 20 cars to date, adding, “McLaren, as a brand, operates at a very high-end price point. We're talking about cars, which are costing upwards of Rs 4-5 crore on average, (and) even significantly higher. Therefore, I think the price point at which we operate would be 80 cars (per annum). These (numbers) are for sports cars alone (and I am) not counting saloons, SUVs, sports SUVs, etc.”
