McLaren’s New Chapter: CYVN Aims to Supercharge British Performance
A bold new era has officially begun for McLaren. CYVN Holdings, the Abu Dhabi-based investment firm focused on advanced mobility, has completed its acquisition of McLaren Automotive and a non-controlling stake in McLaren Racing. But they didn’t stop there. CYVN has consolidated McLaren Automotive and the British electric performance start-up Forseven under a new umbrella: McLaren Group Holdings Ltd.
With Nick Collins—formerly CEO of Forseven—now at the helm of the newly formed group, this consolidation marks the beginning of what CYVN Chairman Jassem Mohamed Bu Ataba Al Zaabi calls “an exciting new era.” And honestly, we think he might be right.
McLaren’s legacy on track is undeniable. Their Formula 1 team continues to find momentum, and their IndyCar efforts have proven competitive in a series that’s tougher than ever. But where McLaren has struggled in recent years is on the road—specifically in the showroom. Delays, development issues, and financial instability have clouded what should be a golden era for boutique performance automakers.
CYVN clearly sees that opportunity. With ties to NIO’s electric vehicle technology, access to lightweighting expertise from Gordon Murray Technologies, and years of stealth-mode development at Forseven, the new group is positioned to finally push McLaren Automotive forward into the electric age with confidence.
It’s not just about slapping a battery into a 720S and calling it a day. It’s about redefining the high-performance luxury space. That’s no small ambition—but it’s one that feels achievable when you consider the ingredients now in play: Formula 1 engineering, luxury EV start-up agility, and the legacy of a brand known for pushing boundaries.
Nick Collins and his team will face challenges—turnaround plans are rarely painless. McLaren Automotive must optimize operations, repair strained supplier relationships, and deliver new, desirable product categories while still honoring the purity and prestige that McLaren customers expect.
But this move is more than a financial shuffle. It’s a cultural reset. If CYVN’s leadership can instill the same hunger and precision in McLaren Automotive that’s shown up on the race track, then we may finally see the McLaren brand operating at full strength—both in pit lanes and in parking lots.
From where we sit at CC Auto Club + Storage, this is the kind of news that gets enthusiasts talking. A reinvigorated McLaren means more dream cars, more innovation, and more reasons to gather around the clubhouse TV on race weekends. And if those new EVs handle half as well as the ICE legends, we’d love to see one parked next to a P1 in our facility soon.
Bottom line? The racing side of McLaren seems to be gaining serious ground, especially in Formula 1 and IndyCar. If the new ownership can bring that same drive to the road car division, the best may still be ahead.
