Industry Reports

McLaren W1 First Drive: Ferocious Hypercar Transcends the Track

You know things are getting serious when McLaren rolls-out the ‘1’ suffix. The origin story is, of course, the very first road car McLaren ever built, the F1. Designed by visionary Formula 1 aerodynamicist and engineer Gordon Murray, it arrived in 1992 and rendered all other supercars obsolete. The tiny, lightweight F1 embraced carbon-fibre material technology, adopted a radical centre seat driving position with two passengers set back and either side and was powered by a 6.1-litre V12 engine from BMW that might as well have been passed down directly from the Gods. Game-changer? That doesn’t even come close to describing its impact, even if at the time sales didn’t come easy… The P1 was very different. Rather than a unique side project from the Formula 1 team, it was instead a statement piece for McLaren Automotive, a new road car division still in its infancy. It arrived in 2013 and was a wild-eyed showstopper. It traded the long-legged gait and supple suspension of the F1 for a weaponized hybrid system capable of delivering 903bhp and huge blue flames from its drainpipe exhaust. In Race mode, it lowered by 2-inches and its massive concave rear wing extended into the sky. The P1 was all about aerodynamic downforce, crazed acceleration and a snorting, angry soundtrack that mixed venomous twin-turbocharged V8 with the manic whirr of electric motors. Not so much a car as a force of nature. And now there’s this: The W1. It’s a true successor to the P1 with a similar brief and, on the face of it, it evolves rather than radically reinvents McLaren’s vision for the ultimate hypercar. This is not a criticism. How could it be when the result is this dramatic and has such staggering, other-worldly potential? The W1 has 1258bhp delivered to the rear wheels. It’s capable of 0-124 mph in 5.8-seconds, the quarter mile in 9.6-seconds at 167 mph and produces 2205lbs of downforce at 174 mph. The active aerodynamics – particularly a rear wing that extends way out beyond the rear of the car – are pure performance art and deliver massive aerodynamic efficiency. The result, aside from looking extremely cool, is that the W1 is McLaren’s fastest road car around a racetrack. Ever. Their benchmark circuit is the breath-taking Handling Track at the Nardo proving ground in southern Italy, where the W1 beats their previous benchmark, the flyweight McLaren Senna, by three seconds per lap. Or “a lifetime” as they call it in racing. Maybe two lifetimes! Core to the W1’s performance is the new ‘Aerocell’ carbon fibre tub. With integrated seats and a raised footwell to allow for inboard pushrod-operated front suspension – which in turn gives air a clean path to the huge underbody diffuser – it’s light, stiff, space efficient and has been instrumental in McLaren realising a full ground-effect concept. Just like last year’s F1 cars, which were the fastest ever made. There is also an active front wing and the aforementioned complex rear wing dubbed ‘Active Long Tail’. All of which is very admirable. But the ‘anhedral’ or gullwing doors and the fantastically shirnked-wrapped feel to the minimalist, highly-focussed interior are a pretty good side effect. The W1 feels special. Those fixed seats are perhaps a shade more upright than expected, and the driving position is less obviously racecar than, for example, the Aston Martin Valhalla or Ferrari F80. However, once you’ve adjusted the pedals (they move on a slider) and the delicate, slim-rimmed and alcantara-trimmed steering wheel, there’s an overwhelming sense of purpose. The cabin is so tightly tailored and imparts a sense of lightness and agility before you so much as start the all-new 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, which makes 916bhp all on its own and revs to 9200rpm. Reach up to a roof-mounted control panel to find the starter button. Maybe this fighter plane trope is a little corny, but somehow you feel thrilled rather than manipulated. The W1 has a sense of humour as well as all that motorsport-derived sophistication. There’s a short delay, but when the engine does fire it’s instant – as the high-powered hybrid system negates the need for an old-school starter motor. A sharp flare of revs tells you that this engine is hyper-responsive and angry. On some deep level your brain and body have been sent all the signals required to prepare for something new and intense. Ahead of us, an empty Mugello racetrack, so press and hold the blue button next to the red starter to select Race mode. The centre display graphic shows the W1’s transformation in real time as it lowers by 37mm at the front and 17mm at the rear whilst simultaneously undocking all that active aero goodness. Race mode is not road legal and is geo-locked. You can show your friends and neighbours the aero dance, but it won’t allow you to select a gear to actually drive unless you’re at a circuit. Incidentally, the rocker switches either side of the display binnacle allow further options now: Toggle up the Handling control on the left for Race+ (for F1-spec super smooth tracks) or stick to Race for gnarlier ones. On the right toggle select ‘GP’ for sustained performance over a stint or ‘Sprint’ to unleash all 1258bhp for a time attack. There’s also a DRS and Boost function on the steering wheel. But I guarantee you won’t have the mental capacity to use them… Exit the pitlane, pin the throttle and W1 takes maybe a millisecond or two to gather its might (the gearing stretches to around 60mph in first, nearly 100mph in second, primarily to aid traction), but then lunges at the first turn with incredible ferocity. It instantly feels light, almost like inertia is no longer a thing. McLaren really does prize lightweight engineering, and at 3084lbs (dry) the W1 has a 278lbs advantage over the Ferrari F80. Plus, Ferrari uses figures for cars fitted with every single carbon fibre option. In reality, the gap is probably wider still. The impression of agility and stunning control continues as the track is unravelled at startling pace. The electric motor mounted to the side of the new 8-speed dual-clutch transmission is good for 342bhp and 324lb ft and it boosts any low rev lethargy the new flat-plane crank V8 might have (spoiler alert: It doesn’t appear to have any), so the W1 just feels massively, almost impossibly powerful at any revs. Even so, there’s real reward for wringing it out to 9200rpm and the power curve feels superheated but organic, too. In Race mode the steering – still hydraulically powered – has less assistance and it is noticeably heavier than other McLarens. However, that resistance is welcome as it gives you something to push against and imparts so much information about the front grip level. New Pirelli Trofeo RS tyres with a bigger front footprint than P1 or Senna really help. The front-end feels incredibly secure and the rear-axle follows with perfectly-aligned precision. The whole car feels super-stiff, completely locked into the surface and inspires confidence, but there’s an inherent agility and adjustability that means you’re quickly confident to push at its limits and really impose yourself on the chassis. It’s such a complex car but the driving experience is intuitive, and the driver feels a key contributor rather than just amazed (or terrified) observer, holding on for dear life. Every dynamic ingredient really is shockingly effective and yet has a subtlety and lightness of touch. From that delicious steering to the incredible brakes, the W1 just feels so mission-focussed, so hooked-up. Only the new 8-speed gearbox is a slightly disappointment. It’s fast and punchy, but after the scintillating energy of the Ferrari F80 ’box it feels competent rather than inspired. Other quibbles – it’s okay to quibble when the starting price is $2.1-million before tax and destination charge. Well, that new twin-turbocharged V8 sounds tightly wound and aggressive but if you have a P1 tucked in the garage you’ll miss the snorting, Darth Vader-style soundscape and all the drama that goes with it. Ferrari does this better, too. The F80 sounds deathly dull from the outside but is a riot of turbochargers, electric motors and all sorts of mechanical fury within the cockpit. Even so, the W1 is wildly entertaining on track, and the rear-drive configuration makes it more of a challenge and more satisfying than the F80 when chasing lap times or just sliding around for fun. In the Ferrari, you must second-guess what the front e-axle might do, whereas in the W1 it’s all on you. There are plenty of tools to help, including the ingenious Variable Drift Control, but somehow the W1 is more heroic. Or at least fools you into feeling more heroic – which is surely the point! On the road? Nimble, loaded with feel and sublime response. The ride is noticeably tougher than, say, a 750S but the control is ramped-up too, and with a bit more speed the whole car finds a delicious rhythm. Sport mode for the drivetrain brings some nice turbo whooshes and chirps, but the noise remains high-quality rather than extreme excitement. It is perhaps the one area the W1 feels just a little too tame. Of course, there’s nothing tame about the raw performance… which is genuinely shocking and literally hurts your neck muscles after a few hours. How McLaren has given the W1 such immense traction through just two driven wheels is beyond me. So, is it worthy of that ‘1’? I think so. Perhaps we won’t be talking about $25-million auction results for the W1 in 30 years from now, as we are for the F1. Perhaps it doesn’t quite have the amazing presence and jaw-dropping star quality of the simply gorgeous P1. But it is such an intense experience and the way it marries stunning track performance with delicate poise and entertainment on normal roads is something akin to magic. Maybe not ‘the one’ but definitely a searing, outrageous addition to McLaren’s fiercest family line. Just 399 W1’s will be built and they’re all sold. I’m not surprised at all. View All McLarens For Sale Images: McLaren Automotive

By Khris Bharath – May 08, 2026

Cadillac Tops 100,000 U.S. EV Sales as Demand Holds Firm Against Market Headwinds

Three out of four people who purchased a Cadillac electric vehicle had never owned one before. That single statistic tells you everything about what is happening to America's oldest luxury car brand right now, and it carries extra weight given the environment in which it was achieved. The post-tariff landscape has pushed up component costs industry-wide, the $7,500 federal EV tax credit expired in September 2025, and manufacturers from Ford to several major European brands have pulled back on their electrification timelines. Clearing 100,000 units, particularly in the luxury space, while the rest of the industry retreats, for a brand that entered the segment just four years ago, is a significant milestone. The brand crossed 100,839 cumulative U.S. EV sales in April 2026. The numbers were modest through 2022 and 2023, reaching around 10,000 units, before the curve steepened sharply through 2024 and accelerated again into this year. "Roughly three-quarters of buyers are new to Cadillac, with many coming from Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, and Lexus"- Duncan Aldred, President of GM North America. About eight months ago, CNBC ran a feature examining Cadillac's rise as a serious competitor in the luxury EV segment, and its findings remain relevant today. Despite the aforementioned pullback, the luxury EV landscape has grown more competitive not just from global makes, but also homegrown brands like Lucid, which posted strong numbers last year. However, Cadillac's advantage lies in its established GM-backed dealer network, decades-old service infrastructure, and brand recognition. The product range makes that case at every price point, and we’ve had a chance to test three all-electric Cadillacs. The 2026 Cadillac LYRIQ starts at $59,200 and now includes Super Cruise and 500 horsepower in dual-motor form. The 2025 Escalade IQ Sport 2 proved its 460-mile real-world range on a Miami-to-Key West run, with its 800-volt architecture adding 100 miles of charge in roughly 10 minutes. At the top, we also savored the flagship hand-built 2025 Cadillac Celestiq sedan, priced above $350,000 and built at fewer than 2 units per day, which incorporates 115 3D-printed components and carbon-fiber body panels. The brand’s current EV portfolio includes five models, and the Elevated Velocity Concept, shown at Monterey last year, gives us an idea of where the brand could head next. Starting with the 2026 Optiq, native NACS ports give every Cadillac EV driver direct access to over 21,500 Tesla Superchargers without an adapter. The brand is also attracting a younger, tech-focused demographic, while the LYRIQ-V and OPTIQ-V, performance variants aimed squarely at the enthusiast segment, extend Cadillac's reach. It needs to be seen what impact the advancements in battery technology and charging infrastructure, coupled with a volatile oil market, have on the EV segment. View All Cadillacs For Sale Images: Cadillac

A luxury SUV is shown driving on a road; below, the interior view highlights a digital dashboard, large touchscreen displays, and hints at GM’s Next Big Leap: Conversational AI in 2026 for a truly futuristic driving experience.

By Khris Bharath – October 23, 2025

GM’s Next Big Leap: Conversational AI in 2026, Eyes-Off D...

General Motors is taking a decisive step toward what it calls the next phase of intelligent mobility. At its “GM Forward” event in New York, CEO Mary Barra outlined how that shift is unfolding across autonomy, software, and energy systems. The most attention-grabbing announcement was “eyes-off” driving, coming in 2028 with the Cadillac Escalade IQ. This marks GM’s move towards what the industry considers Level 3+ autonomy, where the vehicle can handle all aspects of driving in certain conditions without constant human oversight. Unlike Tesla’s camera-only approach for its self-driving system, GM's system appears to feature a combination of high-definition LiDAR, radar, cameras, and sensors layered with real-time mapping data. The turquoise light is an indicator that the vehicle is operating on a hands-off basis GM already has 600,000 miles of mapped roads in North America, and its Super Cruise system has logged 700 million hands-free miles with no crash attributed to the tech. Backed by five million fully driverless miles from Cruise, GM’s autonomous subsidiary, the company says it’s building one of the safest, most validated systems on the road. That safety-first philosophy contrasts sharply with Silicon Valley’s “move fast” mindset. GM’s method is slower but data-driven, blending a decade of on-road experience with continuous validation. The upcoming Escalade IQ will serve as the proving ground for this next-generation autonomy. As for artificial intelligence tech, starting in 2026, GM will also roll out conversational AI across its lineup using Google’s Gemini model. You’ll be able to talk to your car, naturally ask about maintenance alerts, route changes, or even nearby restaurants. Later, GM plans to replace Gemini with its own in-house AI connected via the company's OnStar service, all trained on your vehicle’s behavior and preferences through OnStar’s cloud infrastructure. Underpinning all this will be a centralized computing platform, debuting in 2028. Instead of dozens of separate control modules, one high-speed core will handle propulsion, steering, infotainment, and safety. GM says it’ll offer 10 times more over-the-air update capacity, 1,000 times the bandwidth, and up to 35 times more AI performance than today’s systems. As for manufacturing, GM’s Autonomous Robotics Center in Michigan and its lab in California are developing “cobots” collaborative robots that adapt to human workers using real-time telemetry and quality data. With these announcements, General Motors is no longer positioning itself as a traditional automaker. It’s transforming into a full-fledged technology company, merging hardware, AI, and data into a unified mobility ecosystem, turning one of America’s oldest carmakers into a next-generation technology company. View All Cadillacs For Sale Images: General Motors

By Andrew Nabors – February 10, 2021

Fast Financials 2021: GM Has Big Plans

Ever since we saw their Q4 results, we knew Mary was aiming big. So our latest Fast Financials for 2021 will explain why GM has big plans. Chairman and CEO Mary Barra penned a healthy note to shareholders last night. In it, she repeated their fourth-quarter Net Income of $2.8 billion. This underpins their 2020 total of $6.4 billion, and then she mentions where most of it will be going. By 2025, GM is committing $27 billion to EV development. Her goal is to launch 30 electric cars by then, powered by Ultium batteries. This joint-venture with LG Chem is putting Lordstown, Ohio back to work. She sees this year as an inflection point for them, with a goal of selling over a million EVs in North America and China by the middle of this decade. Production of the Hummer EV will start soon, followed by the Cadillac Lyric. Their autonomous brand (Cruise LLC) has received $2 billion from Honda and Microsoft, and the 2021 Cadillac Escalade specs will include the first to offer Enhanced Super Cruise. Are you ready for a hybrid Corvette? GM Chart by TradingView Image (C) General Motors

By Andrew Nabors – May 31, 2018

GM Stock Up Over 10% Thanks To Supercruise

If you believe the cars of the future will drive themselves, a few others share your vision. The latest Cadillac CT6 is the first car to feature "Supercruise". The system is so advanced, it caught the attention of SoftBank's Vision Fund. Marketwatch.com announced this morning that SoftBank is investing $2.25 Billion into GM Cruise Holdings LLC. She said, "Teaming up with SoftBank adds an additional strong partner as we pursue our vision of zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion". Cadillac Unveils 550 HP CT6 V-Sport CEO Mary Barra says their subsidiary will also receive $1.1 Billion to build the ultimate autonomous car. I didn't believe how capable Supercruise was until I tested it on Interstate 275. I tell you honestly, the Cadillac CT6 drives itself. It constantly scans 360 degrees around the car and looks farther ahead than your eyes can focus. If you want to experience it, click the link below to find a CT6 near you and stay with us for all your autonomous car news. Browse Cadillac CT6 For Sale 2018 #cadillac #ct6 with supercruise, the car drove itself across the Howard Frankland this is the future #dupontregistry A post shared by Andrew Nabors (@naborsandrew) on Dec 21, 2017 at 10:53am PST

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