McLaren executives have long insisted the British firm would never build an SUV. A fresh report out of the United Kingdom, however, suggests the incoming CEO doesn’t agree. Brace yourself for a high-riding McLaren, folks…

McLaren is one of the few high-end automakers out there that doesn’t currently offer an SUV, with executives previously insisting such a vehicle would compromise the company’s overarching goal of delivering the ultimate driving experience. However, there’s a new chief executive officer (CEO) in town and a fresh report suggests a McLaren-badged SUV is indeed on the way.

According to Autocar, the U-turn comes just as Michael Leiters prepares to step into the role of CEO on 1 July 2022. The previous incumbent, Mike Flewitt, quit the company back in October 2021, having earlier famously promised McLaren would “never” add an SUV to its range.

German-born Leiters, however, seemingly has other ideas. Having held a senior position at Porsche and more recently occupied the role of chief technology officer at Ferrari, the 50-year-old engineer has vast experience overseeing the creation of high-riding models such as the Cayenne and Macan, not to mention the Maranello-based firm’s upcoming Purosangue.

Interestingly, the Autocar report claims the new high-performance McLaren SUV will hit the market only in the second half of this decade (likely after 2028) and will take the form of a fully electric model rather than a combustion-engined or hybrid vehicle. Nevertheless, the British publication suggests the newcomer will target the likes of the Aston Martin DBX 707, Lamborghini Urus and the aforementioned Purosangue.

According to the report, the McLaren super-SUV will be “low” and “compact”, and will feature either dual- or tri-motors along with the requisite four-wheel-drive system. The Woking-based automaker is seemingly waiting for battery technology to further improve to allow the SUV to benefit from a comparatively lightweight design.

Autocar further reports McLaren already holds trademarks for the Solus, Aonic and Aeron badges, with the publication speculating the latter (meaning “mountain of strength”) would be best suited to the rumoured battery-powered SUV.

Whether or not you believe McLaren should build an SUV, there’s no doubting the sales success of rivals from competing high-end brands. Indeed, the Cayenne and Macan today account for a hefty percentage of total Porsche sales, while the Urus is Lamborghini’s best-selling model after just four years of production. The DBX, too, has already proven a strong seller for Aston Martin. It seemed almost inevitable McLaren would follow suit…