Several years ago, Mercedes-AMG chief Philipp Schiemer assured Road & Track that the V-8 engine would be in production through 2030. Fast forward to today, and McLaren's CEO Michael Leiters expresses skepticism, stating that electric vehicle technology isn't yet primed for supercars.
Leiters, speaking with Bloomberg Television on Thursday, said, "I don't expect this technology [EV] to be ready for real supercars before the end of the decade." He stressed, "Weight is super important, you need also the right range."
From McLaren's new showroom in Dubai, Leiters highlighted that heavy cars aren't nimble around turns and go against "the core of our brand." In other words, even the most advanced battery systems for EVs aren't ready for real supercars - maybe not until 2030.
"We don't want to do an electric car which weighs two tons and then has 2,000 horsepower," Leiters continued. He said the weight would need to come down to the 3,300-pound range - or equivalent to models in production today.
Despite Leiters' concerns, some supercar makers are shifting towards zero-emission vehicles (see: Aston's deal with Lucid). However, Mercedes-AMG head Philipp Schiemer has been very clear the V-8 engine will be around through 2030:
"I think there will be a future, yes," Schiemer said. "I think for the next ten years we will see the V-8s, for sure. We have a lot of customers who love their cars and I still think that we will see those people buying the [V-8] cars for a long time."
With the advancement of lighter batteries, it's plausible that McLaren might introduce its own EV - but that could be several years for the British carmaker. At least two supercar makers will have petrol engines for now, while many are adopting hybrid drivetrains, one being Lamborghini.
