I try not to be snarky about supercars because, in my heart of hearts, I enjoy most of them. When I’m at a place like Monterey Car Week I’m still excited by the sight of an F430 Spider, a Porsche 959, or even a newer Koenigsegg or Pagani. Having driven a few McLarens, though, I have to admit that it’s one of the few brands whose cars are better in practice than in theory.
The Morning Dump will be focused on plans that aren’t yet 100% successful. For all the talk of the power of China to move as one, the reality is that not everyone in the country is on board if it means that they’re left behind. In Illinois, Volkswagen tried to pass the buck on warranty repairs to its dealers, and that didn’t work either.
Not that Volkswagen doesn’t have bigger problems. Yesterday’s CEO news just goes to show that the company is having a hard time keeping smart leaders.
McLaren Gets A New Look While It Waits To Get New Cars
McLaren is always a hard automaker for me to read. The F1 is one of the most sought after and special cars ever built. Its Formula One team is popular and often successful. It has a great orange.
Being a smaller carmaker, it’s also been friendlier with press cars. I’ve probably driven more McLarens than Ferraris in my life, and about the same number of Lamborghinis. Every single McLaren I’ve driven has been great to drive, even if they had some shortcomings (the early infotainment screens were a little hard to read).
I also care a lot less about McLaren than those other brands. The cars all sort of look the same. Not bad. Just the same. The naming conventions are confusing. For all the amazing history the brand has for someone like me who appreciates the Can-Am racing series, I feel like it’s a bit lost when it comes to the cars. [Ed Note: I will mention that the P1 and 720S were amazing cars, but they came out a while ago. -DT].
This isn’t an opinion exclusive to me, and after an initial surge in interest for the brand, sales have dwindled and the company has floundered. So what’s the solution? The company is going to invest more in England, drop the Artura, and build an SUV. That’s a start, I guess.
The next move is identity, and there’s a new logo. Where does it come from? Here’s McLaren’s own explanation:
At the heart of the identity is a new McLaren wordmark, inspired by the sign above the family Service Station in Remuera, Auckland. Owned by Bruce’s parents, Les and Ruth McLaren, it was where Bruce built the car that would take him to his first racing victory. Recrafting that identity for today, it reconnects McLaren with its origins while giving the brand a confident visual language for the future.
The Speedmark, one of McLaren’s most recognisable symbols, remains at the heart of the brand. Its continued presence reflects the value of continuity and its enduring significance to fans around the world. Papaya also remains a defining element, now joined by an expanded colour palette inspired by pivotal moments in McLaren’s history. The identity also retains the Speedy Kiwi, honouring Bruce McLaren’s New Zealand roots and its longstanding place in McLaren’s history.
The reveal follows a series of storytelling moments throughout 2026 that have amplified McLaren’s origins and the ideas that continue to shape its future. These include a renewed focus on Bruce McLaren’s story, from the celebration of the M6GT as the earliest expression of his road car vision, to the reveal of McL 6GT as a contemporary signal of McLaren’s design and performance ambition.
I typically become cynical when I hear these sorts of marketing stories told in press releases or press conferences. While I think it’s absolutely important for a brand to tell its story, there’s something about showing your work that I find a little off putting.
In this case I get it. McLaren’s biggest problem is not technology or design, it’s interest. It really does need to build a brand that makes sense in an increasingly crowded space. The old logo was fine and I’m not sure this one is any better, but I appreciate the effort.
China’s Growth Comes At A Cost
For all the cheap cars that Chinese automakers bring to the world, for all the talk of expanding production, the laws of economics do still exist in China, and all its investments are having a real impact on consumers there who have gotten used to constantly improving economic conditions.
The Washington Post sets the stage as President Xi Jinping plans to arrive in Washington:
Xi has his own problems. The most notable: a split-screen economy that has the Chinese people settling for less in their daily lives while Xi invests in matching the U.S. in the advanced technologies — such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence — considered essential for global power.
This is a different kind of K-shaped economy, where the government is at the top and everyone else is at the bottom. It’s not just that investment is going up, it’s the structure of the Chinese economy itself:
Lacking a national retirement program, for example, the average Chinese household saves roughly half its earnings. But the government keeps interest rates low to ensure companies can get low-cost loans — which makes it hard for people to earn much on their savings. Household consumption accounts for just 40% of the economy, well below the global average of 64%, according to the World Bank.
Car brands both in China and hoping to sell more cars in China are running into the reality that consumers are saving more and spending less, which is forcing automakers there to expand imports to other countries. Not like Chinese citizens can really complain that much given the nature of politics in that country, but eventually something will have to give.
VW And Audi Dealers Win In Illinois Court
The Illinois Motor Vehicle Franchise Act was updated a few years ago to allow dealers to charge 1.5 the manufacturer rate for warranty work. Why? As warranty work increased, the dealers argued, they were being forced to do the work at a reduced rate (automakers often prescribe how long something is supposed to take) relative to consumer work. VW and Audi responded by passing on a surcharge to dealers.
VW and Audi dealers sued and, after a lot of back-and-forth, the automaker lost. Automotive News has the skinny:
The Illinois Motor Vehicle Review Board found VW Group of America’s cost recovery fees violated the Illinois Motor Vehicle Franchise Act, and the automaker is not permitted to seek or impose cost recovery fees against Illinois dealers via a quarterly surcharge, according to an April proposed decision made final Sept. 10.
“We thought it was a very black and white issue that they violated the Franchise Act by taking the surcharge, which has a prohibition in the warranty reimbursement section of exactly that,” said Ira Levin, a Chicago lawyer and lead counsel for the VW and Audi dealers.
VW has 35 days from the final order date to file an administrative appeal in state court, Levin said.
It’s possible that VW and Audi could just raise the wholesale price of its cars in the state, which could hurt its sales.
How Did VW Lose Zellmer?
Doesn’t new Volvo CEO Klaus Zellmer sort of look like a European version of Tom from Widow’s Bay? Maybe they’ll make a German version called Witwenbucht and give him the job.
Many of you wondered yesterday just how VW let a leader like Zellmer go, and now we’ve got a bit of an answer via Automotive News Europe:
Zellmer, 59, has long been regarded as a potential candidate for a bigger role within VW Group. But the group’s senior management structure has left little obvious room at the top.
Thomas Schaefer runs Brand Group Core, which oversees VW, Skoda, Seat/Cupra; former McLaren CEO Michael Leiters started as Porsche CEO in January; and Oliver Blume remains group CEO — leaving little room at the top. For Zellmer, another major step within VW Group increasingly appeared difficult to achieve.
A VW manager, who declined to be named, said Zellmer wants to prove his abilities to his counterparts at VW Group. Another insider said Zellmer had repeatedly argued internally for changes and improvements at the automaker but failed to get them through.
It’s possible that Zellmer considered it easier to get ahead at Volkswagen by going to Volvo, which is basically what Leiters did when he left for McLaren.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
My wife and I heard “Love on the Brain” blasting out of an F-150 while on a walk yesterday and we immediately started singing along. What a song!
The Big Question
What do you think of McLaren? Have you ever thought of McLaren?
Top graphic images: McLaren; DepositPhotos.com
When I lived in SE Texas, some medical specialist lived in our neighborhood and daily drove a bright blue McLaren 570 or 720 (I have a hard time distinguishing between the two) and often parked it outside overnight in his driveway. I thought his parking habits were brave along with owning a car that would have to be taken more than 100 miles on a flatbed to the dealer in Houston for anything beyond an oil change.
I see more McLaren’s than Ferrari’s these days in AZ. Maybe McLaren’s are bought by drivers vs. collectors.
I like the compactness of their original road car, which looks smaller than a NSX.
TBQ: Meh-claren….
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a McLaren in the.. composites. I’m sure there are a couple here in the other side of down here, but I don’t recall seeing one.
The only times I think about McLaren is when I’m on here, otherwise they are just a brand for a set of vehicles that I will never own, let alone probably never drive.
Not every economy needs to be K shaped. Somewhat ironically China has an equal sign (=) shaped economy.
Apart from the F1, I can’t say I’ve been enthused by any McLaren road products.
But this new one, the McL 6GT, has got my attention. It’s a sorely needed design language departure for McLaren, and it’s a manual TTV8.
Last time I thought of McLaren was probably the Spanish Grand Prix.
Or maybe it was that Deloitte commercial with Zak Brown?
No – it was when I read about that Cars and Coffee OC influencer dude who killed himself and his Hooters/model sidepiece in his McLaren.
Yeah, I’ve seen McLarens around LA – slightly less common than Lamborghinis.
“But the government keeps interest rates low to ensure companies can get low-cost loans — which makes it hard for people to earn much on their savings.”
Well, that’s how it works here too – except Americans are clamoring for low interest rates because they don’t save their money, and want lower interest on our debt.
If Americans lived below our means the way Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and many Europeans do – we’d be thrilled with these current, relatively normal interest rates.
It’s the people who are loaning us money (and not investing in their companies but doing stock buybacks instead) who are really happy, as they are making a lot more money for doing nothing right now.
My sweet Lord. The only time I ever thought about McLaren was when I saw George Harrison owned one.
Saw a new? McLaren yesterday in Palo Alto. My immediate thought was ‘there goes some AI money.’ Not even worth a second look. I haven’t seen my favorite, a black street-parked Ferrari shooting break. I hope he/she didn’t sell it. Maybe it’s back in the shop. I thought the person had traded it for an F430, but that was just a loaner. I only glance at the Ferrari showroom as I pass it to see if there is a Luce on display. If I see it, I’ll be tempted to go in and look. I test drove a late model Corvette a few years ago. That was enough speed for me at my age.
“…a black street-parked Ferrari shooting break”
So a Ferrari FF or GTC4 Lusso?
FF
https://photos.app.goo.gl/5kh3zK4HFCPn7ZM97
My favorite FF was this Champagne-metallic example I observed being driven by a very elegant older gentleman along the Champs-Élysées on the occasion of my 50th Birthday…
https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcovoyageur/9107266586/
Excellent!
When did this start being an issue for luxury and other high-end automakers using alphanumeric codes (Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, Infiniti, etc.)?
I wish they’d all adapt actual names, to be clear. But it seems odd to single McClaren out when few of them have managed to stay consistent in their conventions.