Autoblog.com reports McLaren looking for hybrid development engineers
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Supercars are going green -- at least that is what the latest trendy exotic car reports are indicating. First, Tesla Motors announced their plan to open dealerships nationwide. Then Ferrari jumped on the press announcement bandwagon that same week by announcing a confirmation that they would be bringing their own hybrid auto to the production scene by 2015. Lamborghini, never a car company that likes to be behind anybody, quickly followed saying they will be pursuing automotive technology that utilizes a combination of bio-fuel, electric, or hybrid technology combined (with the exact specifications not yet released. Talk in the exotics world is that the company is currently considering the frame of it's concept car model the Lamborghini Estoque [you know, the hot four passenger vehicle that debuted at the 2008 Paris Auto Show made by the Lambo bull company -- a functional supercar that's sure to please those lusty drivers who still have a need to tote the family to and fro occasionally]. Now, the chit chat behinds the scenes is turned to McLaren, key sponsor of the Mercedes - McLaren Formula One racing team. Will they be producing a hybrid supercar in the early part of the 21st century? Read on to find out the confirmation of rumor trail and the links to the leads.
If you are reading up on supercars and hybrid technology, the latest rumor is that McLaren is planning a hybrid supercar. But is is true and has anything been confirmed to date? Not yet (as of the end of June 2009).
So what's the evidence that is leading people to believe there is truth in the story? That's easy. Check the classified listings for jobs in the auto industry to review the trending job titles; what you see and read is probably a good indication of the kind of tech skills based people the various car companies need for their teams.
Autoblog.com reports,
"McLaren has put up a job posting for a Senior Engineer for Powertrain Hybrid Technology on its official website, which may offer a few clues as to where the automaker may be heading in the near future for its road cars. As far as rumors go, this one seems pretty solid. According to an unnamed spokesperson quoted by Autocar: It (hybrid technology) is something we want as a forward-thinking, technology-driven company. We have been considering it for future projects. All the advert means is that we are looking for a senior engineer in powertrain hybrid technology. Read into it what you will... One possibility is that McLaren will attempt to adapt the KERS system from its Formula 1 race cars for street use. It's widely agreed upon that McLaren's KERS implementation is the best in F1 and both BMW and Ferrari are also thought to be working on KERS for future road cars...
Within the next few years, McLaren is expected to introduce a couple of new supercars, including a replacement for the current SLR, codenamed P11, and a successor to the famed F1 supercar from the mid '90s that's currently known as the P12."
The source of the news was based on a press release and private comments made by Autocar.co.uk. In a feature article run by the auto blog about the new McLaren hybrid supercar potentially on the auto news horizon (published on July 2, 2009), they say:
A McLaren spokesman wouldn’t confirm whether or not the advert meant it was planning on adding hybrid technology to its road cars, but did confirm it was a technology McLaren was interested in.
The spokesman said: “It (hybrid technology) is something we want as a forward-thinking, technology-driven company. We have been considering it for future projects.
“All the advert means is that we are looking for a senior engineer in powertrain hybrid technology. Read into it what you will.”
McLaren has so far been coy with its plans for its upcoming supercar, codenamed the P11, ahead of its expected launch at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this year.
Pre-production models have been regularly photographed by Autocar spies, but concrete details on the production version have not been forthcoming.
To those discussions, we have to agree that a hybrid model is coming. If the report of the job opening is true, and the rumormill announcement is confirmed, it's likely the auto manufacturer will be pursuing a special new supercar... one that lives, breathes, and drives in a way that's eco-friendly. However, it won't be "official" until the McLaren company itself declares it so by formal press release.
Now, if we could just create a noise soundtrack to play on the supercar while it's running. If hybrid cars like the little Toyota Prius and the electric exotic car the Lotus-framed Tesla Roadster (or Roadster Sport) are any indication of what the next generation of supercars will sound like, then we need to start making recordings full throttle of the 20th century gas guzzling machines that make our hearts race whenever we hear the deep throaty rumble of the engines. The biggest fear exotics buyers have is that the hybrids won't sound like mean green machines due to the silent modern environmentally friendly technologies.
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