McLaren P1 Track confirmed as McLaren Automotive goes in to profit

McLaren are building a track version of the P1 (pictured) for P1 customers only It’s only three years since McLaren Automotive entered the hugely competitive market for high-end supercars (well, it’s four years, but only three since the first 12C went to a customer), but it’s already in profit. McLaren made an operating profit in 2013 of £12.4 million (and a pre-tax of £4.4 million) on sales of £284.4 million and did so – as predicted – by hitting their sales targets – McLaren sold 1359 12Cs and 36 of the McLaren P1 hypercar. And that looks to be just the start.

Land Rover considers smaller SUV

Land Rover could add a luxury SUV below the compact-sized Range Rover Evoque, the brand's design director said. "Certainly, I think we can go smaller," Gerry McGovern told Automotive News Europe when asked about future plans for the premium Range Rover line. "In a world focusing on sustainability you could argue that smaller and lighter is the way to go." Range Rover is not the only brand considering a subcompact premium SUV.

Citroën designers: Design students have 'golden opportunity'

Today's car design students "have got a fantastic opportunity in a very different world," say Citroën designers. Though the automotive industry has been suffering in many regions in the current economic climate, the next generation of car designers "have got a fantastic opportunity," says Andrew Cowell, Senior Design Manager at Citroën, in conversation with Car Design News at the Royal College of Art, London. "The industry will evolve quite a lot, and these guys (the students on the postgraduate Vehicle Design course) will come out into a very different world." "They'll start in a very interesting period", says Alexandre Malval, Citroën Design Director and himself a graduate from the RCA course.