Apple in Talks to Acquire Luxury Carmaker and Formula One Team McLaren [Update: McLaren Denies]

mclarenApple has approached British luxury carmaker and Formula One team McLaren about a potential acquisition, likely to be valued at between $1.3 billion and $1.9 billion, according to Financial Times.

Apple is reportedly considering a full takeover of McLaren, or a strategic investment in the company, likely in an effort to bolster its widely rumored automotive project. Apple is said to be interested in McLaren's automotive-related technology, engineering prowess, and patent portfolio.

The California technology group, which has been working on a self-driving electric vehicle for more than two years, is considering a full takeover of McLaren or a strategic investment, according to three people briefed on the negotiations who said talks started several months ago.

A tie-up with McLaren, whose expertise ranges from automotive engineering and on-board computer systems to novel chassis materials such as carbon fibre and aluminium, could accelerate Apple’s secretive automotive project. Apple and McLaren declined to comment.

McLaren, headquartered in Woking, Surrey, manufactures high-performance sports cars, including the P1 and F1 models commonly used for racing. The carmaker produced just 1,654 vehicles last year, some costing as much as $1 million apiece. McLaren has a Formula One team itself that competes under the name McLaren Honda, winning more F1 grand prix races than any other team since 1966.

Apple has reportedly laid off dozens of employees as it seeks to repurpose its secretive automotive project, now believed to fall under the leadership of longtime Apple executive Bob Mansfield. At time, it was said that Apple is focusing more heavily on developing underlying technologies for autonomous vehicles, perhaps allowing it to partner with or purchase an automaker like McLaren in the future.

Formula One itself was sold to U.S.-based Liberty Media for $4.4 billion earlier this month.

Update: McLaren denies that it is in talks with Apple in a statement given to The Verge: "We can confirm that McLaren is not in discussion with Apple in respect of any potential investment."

Update 2: According to The New York Times, Apple is also in discussions with Lit Motors about a potential acquisition. Lit Motors produces self-balancing electric motorcycles. Several former Lit Motors engineers work at Apple already.

Popular Stories

apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses: These 17 U.S. States Offer Them or Will Later

Thursday June 19, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states and Puerto...
iPhone 16 Battery Life Feature

iOS 26's New Battery Life Mode Available Only on These iPhone Models

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:02 am PDT by
Last week, we reported that iOS 26 introduces an opt-in Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode. Apple says that Adaptive Power Mode can make "small performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to "take a little longer." The full description of...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
ios 26 call holding

iOS 26 Beta is Hiding a New Ringtone — Here's What It Sounds Like

Thursday June 19, 2025 7:25 pm PDT by
Apple is hiding a new ringtone within iOS 26. The new ringtone is an alternative version of the existing Reflection ringtone, which has been the default ringtone since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It was discovered within the code for the first developer beta of iOS 26, but it remains hidden, so you will not find it in the list of ringtones available in the Settings app for now. It...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Wednesday June 18, 2025 10:24 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a few days after Apple provided the betas to developers. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. When the...
General Spotify Feature

Spotify Preparing to Launch Long-Awaited Lossless Audio Tier on iPhone

Thursday June 19, 2025 1:46 pm PDT by
Spotify appears to be gearing up to launch its long-awaited lossless music tier. Chris Messina (via TechCrunch) and Spicetify (via The Verge) spotted new lossless references within the code for Spotify's desktop app and web player. With assistance from Aaron Perris, MacRumors has confirmed that the latest beta of the Spotify app for the iPhone also contains new lossless-related code....
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adding Two New Wi-Fi Features, Allows AirDrop and AirPlay Alternatives

Saturday June 21, 2025 7:02 am PDT by
iOS 26 is gaining two new Wi-Fi features, including Captive Assist and Wi-Fi Aware. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris discovered a reference to Captive Assist within the code for the first iOS 26 developer beta, but Apple has yet to enable the feature. It should be available by the time the software update is released later this year. In his Power On newsletter last month, Bloomberg's...
airpods 4 blue

Apple Offering Free AirPods — Here's How to Get Them

Tuesday June 17, 2025 6:33 am PDT by
Apple is running a new promotion that offers free AirPods to qualifying customers. Now through September 30, college and university students in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Singapore can receive free AirPods 4 when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. AirPods Pro 2 are also available at a discount. If you do not want AirPods, the promotion also offers various other...

Top Rated Comments

William Gates Avatar
114 months ago
If this happens, the McLaren Pro will never be updated!
Score: 59 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Crosscreek Avatar
114 months ago
It's a Mc rumor at least.
Score: 56 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mango316 Avatar
114 months ago
Buy McLaren and get FREE pair of Beats headphones!
Score: 53 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MonkeySee.... Avatar
114 months ago
Apple Execs probably went on a factory tour........

Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RightMACatU Avatar
114 months ago
McLarenOS :D
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NeilHD Avatar
114 months ago
I always thought an Apple Car would be expensive, but didn't know I'd have to spend about £200,000.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)