McLaren 720S production ends as successor enters development

McLaren has begun taking orders for a successor to the 720S supercar, production of which ended quietly last year. 

The British firm hasn't announced any details regarding the replacement for its 710bhp, 212mph coupé, but a spokesperson in the US recently confirmed that it's working on an unnamed replacement, reported Automotive News. 

It has been reported that customers have put down deposits with dealerships to reserve their place on the order list, despite the firm not making any announcements. 

The McLaren 720S and related 765LT are still available to configure on the firm’s UK website guise, but Autocar has received official confirmation that no more build slots are being allocated.

"We're not taking further customer-specified build orders for [the] 720S, but cars are available through our retailer network," McLaren said.

Demand for its replacment has proven so strong it's sold out “deep into 2024”, Automotive News reported. It added that the car won't be a ground-up, “next-generation vehicle” but rather an evolution of the 720S.

As such, its powertrain could be a development of McLaren's 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8. Given the firm’s vast investment in hybridised powertrains (as seen on the P1 and McLaren Artura), it could adopt some form of electrification. 

The Artura uses a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 mated to a 94bhp axial-flux electric motor for a total ouput of 671bhp and a 0-62mph time of 3.0sec. As a more expensive and potent proposition, the follow-up to the 720S will no doubt come to market with loftier figures across the board. 

With the 720S now off sale, McLaren’s road car line-up comprises just the McLaren GT and the Artura. Every unit of the Senna hypercar is spoken for and the new V10-engined Solus GT is a track-only offering.

In December 2022, McLaren entered into a partnership with Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works to use its intuition for aerospace engineering in a road application. It's currently unclear whether the successor to the 720S will benefit from the fruits of this partnership.

McLaren is also considering the launch of an SUV. The concept of a four-seat, high-riding EV is “very attractive” for the firm, its then-new CEO Michael Leiters told Autocar last year.