If 100 thousand euros is "mainstream" to you, then so will be McLaren. According to various news outlets, McLaren is about to unveil a lower cost model - McLaren "Sports Series" in early spring next year.
This will be the first time McLaren have descended from the heights of supercars, down into the mundane world of Porsche 911 and Nissan GT-R. And I have nothing but praise for such endeavor.
Hypercars don't make hyper money. Often a "halo car" project can be more of a burden than source of profit for the manufacturer.
Take Bugatti Veyron for example. According to a recent report by Wall Street research firm Bernstein Research, VW have lost as much as $6 million per every Bugatti Veyron built.
Veyron has gone a long way in reanimating the Bugatti brand, but unless they capitalize on it by releasing more affordable and less complicated models, this money will be gone for good.
I don't know how much McLaren had to sacrifice in development and manufacture of the P1, but I do know they have to extend their offering into more affordable territory - that's where the profit lies.
Unlike an Aston Martin Cygnet or diesel Porsche Cayenne, a 500 horse sub 150 thousand euro McLaren sportscar won't devalue the brand or spook the customer base. There is everything to gain and nothing to lose for McLaren, so I wish them luck and, also, some spare cash to burn for the 2015 F1 season.
