The end of the McLaren MP4-12C

With the unveiling of the 650S (which is a heavily updated version of the MP4-12C), a lot of people were wondering what place the 12C would take, now that the new model was more advanced, more agile, more powerful and about the same price (if you are looking for a brand new, $200,000+ supercar, $25,000 is an insignificant difference). Woking’s sales department assured us that the car would remain in production, at least for the next few years.

Something changed in the last months. First, we received reports that production of the MP4-12C was put on hold to allow the factory to produce more 650S models. And now, McLaren has decided to kill the 12C altogether.

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The English manufacturer broke the bad news to the current owners of a 12C first, explaining to them that the 650S should be viewed as a continuation of the MP4’s legacy.  It is, after all, based on the same carbon tub and engine. 

To help those poor owners cope with the death of their beloved car, McLaren will offer a free software upgrade, which includes a few pieces of tech developed on the 650S: the airbrake system and a DRS function, for example. This upgrade should be available in June.

According to McLaren, sales of the 12C have been in a steady decline since the unveiling of the 650S, while the new model is currently back-ordered for the next 6 months.