British supercar maker McLaren Automotive, best known for its Formula One team, rolled out its latest hybrid McLaren Artura in India.

Priced at a whopping ₹5.1 crore, the Artura comes with Plug-in Hybrid capability and can be charged to an 80% level in 2.5 hours. The battery pack can also harvest power from the combustion engine during driving.

One can drive the car in 'silent', 'pure EV' mode with a range of up to 31 kilometres and a top speed of 130 kilometres per hour.

The Artura, which is the most fuel-efficient McLaren car ever produced, also has an electrified powertrain. The supercar has four powertrain modes: E-mode, comfort, sport and track. E-mode is the default for silent startup and 'zero-emissions' driving.

In comfort mode, the V6 petrol engine runs in tandem with the E-motor. In sport mode, the E-motor provides torque infill at lower revs, while the V6 targets maximum performance. Track mode delivers the same blend of hybridised power, with transmission software delivering faster shifts.

The 2,993 cc twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine, paired with an eight-speed transmission and a lithium-ion battery pack, provides the supercar with instant torque and improved throttle response, says the carmaker.

McLaren Artura's top speed is electronically limited to 330 kilometres per hour with 0-100 km per hour in just 3 seconds and 0-200 in 8.3 seconds.

The car comes with a 5-year vehicle warranty, a 6-year battery warranty, a 10-year body perforation corrosion warranty, and a 3-year service plan.

McLaren forayed into India in October last year. While the automaker doesn't have any set targets in terms of sales, it has already sold about 20-odd cars.

The growth potential that exists in the Indian market is just phenomenal, says Paul Harris, managing director – APAC and China, McLaren Automotive.

Harris, however, adds that India has a lot of way to go in terms of infrastructure development and in terms of duty structure.

According to Harris, McLaren currently has no plans to bring out a fully electric car but there is a consideration for this in the future.

"Hybridisation is McLaren's core principle. Hybridisation is used whereby it enhances the performance," says Harris, adding that the current battery technology tends to be dense and heavy and it doesn't really suit McLaren's core principle which is lightweight. Electrification of cars is more in the larger volume segment, he says.

McLaren has partnered with Infinity Cars, a retailer of high-performance and premium luxury cars, as its official retail partner in India.

"These are handcrafted cars, they take six to eight months to build. It's never about volumes for us, neither is it about comparing market share and sales target with somebody else. It's about ensuring we find a customer who is best suited to own a McLaren," says Lalit Choudary, chairman and managing director, McLaren Mumbai.

McLaren operates at a very high price point as these cars cost about ₹4-5 crore on average, or even higher, according to Choudary. "The price point we operate at is rather rarified," he says.

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