McLaren High-Performance Hybrid IP filing sighted

Following McLaren’s teaser of its forthcoming High-Performance Hybrid (HPH) earlier this month, images of the hybrid V6-powered sports car have emerged on the Global Design Database of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) this week, around the same time our spy photographers have spotted a development vehicle running road tests.

This will the Woking-based carmaker’s first series production hybrid model, after the limited-run P1 that once topped the range as part of the Ultimate Series, and will thus mark a new age of electrification for the marque when it debuts in 2021, after production ends for the current Sport Series range which is comprised of models like the 570S, 600LT and 620R.

The test vehicle sighted by our spy photographers appears to be in a similar state of development as the car in McLaren’s official teaser, minus the latter’s Pirelli sticker on its side. Beneath the camouflage, the latest design cues on the brand’s current models such as the McLaren GT can be seen, albeit with a more aggressive edge overall compared to the grand tourer.

The upcoming V6 hybrid has been described as capable of delivering “astonishing levels of performance and a uniquely intense driver experience,” which means it will likely improve upon the performance levels of the 570S, which makes 570 PS and 600 Nm of torque from its M838TE 3.8 litre twin-turbo V8 engine, while offering a ‘medium-range’ fully electric drive capability.

The forthcoming HPH is pitched between the GT – the first under the marque’s Grand Tourer range – and the 720S which is categorised as a Super Series car, therefore it will likely show stronger numbers than the 3.2-second 0-100 km/h time and 328 km/h top speed figures of the 570S.

The new powertrain will be joined by another McLaren first; a new carbon-fibre structure named the McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA) that will be made at the McLaren Composites Technology Centre (MCTC) in Sheffield. This will form the basis of future McLarens and accommodate their hybrid powertrains in the years to come.