McLaren unveiled the 570S coupe before its public coming-out party at the New York auto show this week. The newest British supercar will be part of the two-car McLaren Sports Series, which falls below the Super Series that includes the 650S and 675LT.
The 570S gets the company’s twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8 making 562 hp (570 PS — hence the name), forced through a seven-speed SSG transmission to the rear wheels. The sprint to 62 mph takes 3.2 seconds and just 9.5 seconds are needed to get to 124 mph. Top speed is rated at 204 mph. The 570S tips the scales at 2,895 pounds dry.
Carbon ceramic brakes are standard, as are adaptive dampers, antiroll bars and a double wishbone suspension. The 570S features normal, sport and track settings for the powertrain and handling.
This isn’t just a race car, McLaren wants you to know: The 570S has creature comforts like a 7-inch touchscreen with navigation and Bluetooth. A four-speaker stereo is standard, eight- and 12-speaker systems are optional. On the other hand, the front trunk measures only 4.4 cubic feet, so it’s not exactly a GT, either.
The 570S is envisioned as a volume model for the company.
The debut of the Sports Series represents an expansion of McLaren’s range, and will be the car that the company believes will have the most impact on the growth of its lineup and business. The car is being billed as the most useable McLaren to date, and not only because it includes cupholders. The 570S has a a seven-inch IRIS touchscreen with climate controls, Sirius satellite radio, and Bluetooth connectivity — far from being a hard sports car that’s too loud to talk on the phone in. The seats are upholstered in leather and look very comfortable, though sport seats will still be on the menu.
“2015 is a very very important year for McLaren Automotive,” said Jolyon Nash, Executive Director, Global Sales & Marketing. “Firstly we are for the first time going to be present at the New York Auto Show. North America is our largest market and it’s very very important, and we thought it was appropriate that we also reveal for the first time probably the most important car in our short history; the new Sports Series. This is a car that, as you already know, that we think will be a game-changer in the sports car segment, but most importnantly for McLaren this will transform our business. The new Sports Series will more than double the size of our business. So it’s an extremely important car.”
The 570S will be the volume model and a gateway to the brand, though volume in this context volume is relative as we’re still talking about hundreds of cars.
“We have Sports Series, the first car youre going to see tonight is the 570, and above that, the core of our business that comprises the 650S and 650 Spyder, and more recently the 675LT,” said Nash. “And of course at the very top of our range is the ultimate series with the McLaren P1 and really extreme McLaren P1 GTR.”
The 570S will be carbon fiber-intensive, as one would expect.
As for future cars, McLaren isn’t finished when it comes to filling out its lineup.
“Well, one thing we can tell you about our future product range is that we will not going to be manufacturing or developing an SUV,” said Nash.
“In addition to the coupe there will be several more bodystyles, and those will be rolled out, let’s just say, the next few years,” said Mark Vinnels, McLaren executive director for product development.
When it comes to finding places to buy one of these, the executives gathered at the reveal mentioned the growth that the company has experienced since relaunching in 2011.
“Our dealer network has expanded significantly,” Nash continued. When we first opened our doors for business we had just one dealer — that was McLaren London and today we have over 70 dealers operating in more than 30 markets around the world — we have a real global footprint. But I think what s is most important, what is most impressive about what McLaren Automotive has achieved is that in 2013, our third full year of operations, we became profitable. And weve been profitable since. And I think that in the automotive industry of today that’s almost unprecedented, so we’re very very pleased with that.”
About the New York auto show
The spring auto show season concludes with the New York auto show at the Jacob Javits Center. Every year, manufacturers tend to save at least one of their best reveals for last; this year, we’re expecting the new Cadillac CT6 flagship sedan, Mercedes GLE SUV and 2016 Hyundai Tucson to show off in the Big Apple. Stay tuned to our New York auto show home page for all the latest news, photos and reveals.