McLaren Automotive is all set to merge with British start-up Forseven according to a deal announced on April 3. With fresh capital, technology and resources at hand, McLaren will now be looking to expand beyond its current line-up of just mid-engined supercars for the first time.
- McLaren and Forseven to integrate under new McLaren Group Holdings
- McLaren to expand into new product categories beyond supercars
- Merger was facilitated by investment company CYVN Holding
Who is Forseven?
Forseven is a British start-up that had been building a team of automotive designers, engineers and executives towards the launch of a new range of luxury models under a new brand. All these developments were happening in the background for the last three years – the company refers to this as operating in ‘stealth mode’. However, the Forseven name was never intended to be a customer-facing name, and will now cease to exist post this merger. Prior to the McLaren deal, it had been Forseven’s intention to go to market as its own brand, albeit with a different name.
Merger facilitated by CYVN Holdings
The merger between McLaren and Forseven was facilitated by the Abu Dhabi government-backed investment company CYVN Holdings. It formed Forseven as an anchor investment in 2022, and has expanded its automotive portfolio since then. It currently owns Gordon Murray Technologies, which it acquired in 2023, and also has a 20 percent stake in Chinese car company Nio. CYVN acquired McLaren Automotive in December 2024.
New McLaren Group Holdings constituted
The new combined company, McLaren Group Holdings Ltd, will be led by Forseven CEO Nick Collins. Collins has previously been a senior engineer at Ford, and later oversaw the Defender and Range Rover projects at JLR.
The new McLaren Group Holdings will oversee the combined business of McLaren Automotive and Forseven. The new Group also has a minority, non-controlling stake in the McLaren Formula 1 team.
What does this mean for McLaren?
The merger will enable the newly formed McLaren Group Holdings to broaden its model line-up. Essentially, this will enable the models in development at Forseven to come to market under the McLaren badge. Meanwhile, McLaren will benefit from fresh financial backing and security, to better compete with the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and Bentley. This also includes electrification know-how from Nio and GMT’s advanced production processes.
The first official details of the new-era McLarens will be revealed later this year. Speaking to our sister publication Autocar UK, Collins declined to go into the specifics of any particular model, but said the new range of cars will move up in their price points from the existing line-up, making for a much broader portfolio.
Intriguingly, the models that have been in creation at Forseven are not solely electric, and McLaren’s expansion into other segments will include high-performance internal combustion engines.
Hormazd Sorabjee
Anurag Chaturvedi
