The anticipated delivery date for McLaren’s Artura was Q3 of 2021. This date has clearly passed without any of the ultra-expensive hypercars ever rolling off the assembly line. In February 2021, the car was first presented to the public, and order books were opened simultaneously. 

With deliveries set for July of 2022, it appears that anyone who placed an order back then will have to wait for a minimum of a year and a half to receive their British plug-in hybrid electric performance car. What is the explanation for this? There will be no chips.

McLaren

McLaren had hoped that the Artura would make up roughly 40% of its 2022 deliveries. However, that is clearly not the case anymore. It was also probably hoping that the plug-in hybrid would improve its carbon emissions and fuel economy. 

McLaren’s reputation is built on its ability to produce new models on a regular basis, so a nine- to ten-month delay in producing a new product is not a good thing at all. This was expected to be McLaren’s next workhorse, replacing the long-serving Sports series, which is currently filled by the 720S and 765LT. 

It is McLaren’s response to Ferrari’s V6 296 GTB hybrid. The vehicle had a V6 twin-turbo engine, an all-new chassis, and a hybrid powertrain. It has 671 horsepower and 531 lb-ft of torque, accelerates from 0 to 60 in 3 seconds, and costs a hundred dollars less than the Ferrari.

Chips are still months away, so it doesn’t appear that car costs will fall any time soon, nor will dealer ADM have disappeared. Even if you don’t shop in the quarter-million cost bracket, rest assured McLaren dealers apply comparable dealer markups, perhaps in the tens of thousands of dollars. Isn’t it possible that someone will consider the billionaires?