McLaren offers zero-rate financing for its cheapest model

Zero interest is usually a selling point for a popular car, not a supercar. In the United States, however, McLaren started to offer a rate of 0% per year, in 36 months, for the Artura Coupé 2025 and 2026, considered the British brand’s entry-level model. The condition draws attention because the coupe starts at US$ 260,400 (about R$ 1,35 million), a value for a public that, in theory, would pay in cash.

According to the CarsDirect portal, which had access to a statement sent by the automaker to dealerships, there is also a 72-month financing option with interest of 2.99% per year. Before, the rate for the 36-month term was 1.99%, and the zero interest would have started to take effect in July. The condition can still serve buyers with a FICO score, an index similar to Serasa’s score , around 700, on a scale that goes up to 850, without requiring a perfect credit history.

With the options, the price can reach US$ 295.400 (about R$ 1,53 million), even before the accessories. The Artura uses a V6 3.0 biturbo plug-in hybrid engine with 700 hp and 73,4 kgfm. The promotion is valid until September 30 and only includes the coupe; the Artura Spider version was left out of the campaign.

Why millionaires finance

Paying in installments for a car of this size is less exotic than it seems. A survey by the consultancy Cox Automotive, cited by the Capital One bank, showed that only 8.5% of Americans who bought vehicles over US$ 100 thousand in 2021 paid in cash.

To Autocar magazine, Darren Selig, founder of JBR Capital, a British supercar financier, explained that large fortunes are usually invested in companies and investments, and not stopped in account. Immobilizing capital in an asset that depreciates can be more expensive than keeping it yielding, a logic that zero interest makes even more evident.

Even so, CarsDirect itself assesses that the short term, of 36 months, will hardly attract many buyers.

Artura near the end

According to Automotive News, which cites an unnamed source, the Artura is expected to be discontinued in 2028. The brand’s first plug-in hybrid, the model had its launch delayed by more than a year due to the lack of semiconductors and hit the market with quality problems that McLaren took years to solve, according to the publication.

The GTS is also expected to leave the line, with production scheduled to end in 2027. The 750S would be in its final phase, although McLaren has not yet set a date for its departure. The new 788HS, a track version based on the 750S, works as a farewell to the line. GTS and 750S also have special financing in the US, with interest of 3.99% per year over 60 months.

Despite the changes, McLaren says the two-seater supercar will continue in production. The next generation will have hybrid engines developed in-house, while rumors point to a new, even more powerful hybrid supercar around 2028, with more torque and a higher price than the Artura.