British Automaker McLaren has announced it will be ending production of the MP4 12C supercar which has essentially been replaced by the 650S in the line-up.

The announcement was made through a letter where McLaren’s CEO assured existing 12C owners that despite the discontinuation of the model they’ll be receiving a free upgrade to their sports cars.

He added that the company’s focus will now be on its recent products – the 650S Coupe and Spider, which are mechanically very similar to the outgoing MP4 12C. The removal of the MP4 12C from the production line means space opens for a lighter, compact sportscar to challenge the Porsche 911. It’s code named the P13 and we’ll see it on our roads in 2015…

The free upgrade to the MP4 12C models includes the new Active Aero software that will allow their 12C’s existing Airbrake to ‘sense’ different driving scenarios and deploy the rear wing as an Airbrake during braking and also as a Drag Reduction System improving aerodynamics during high-speed driving in a straight line.

The free Technology Upgrade will also add improvements to functionality and usability of the Android-based IRIS system, while DAB radio and reversing camera will be available at a special price.

McLaren confirmed it has received six months’ worth of orders of the recently-launched 650S already. The McLaren 650Smade its debut at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year in both coupe and spider forms, and we attended its local South African launch.

It’s a premature farewell for one of our favourite supercars and we expected its product life cycle was going to be a little longer. Nevertheless, the 650S is here and we’re itching to get our hands on it. You can read our road test of the McLaren MP4 12C here.