McLAREN 675LT JVCKENWOOD Concept Debuts At CES

CES is the worlds largest space for all things electronic and companies from around the world head to Las Vegas to debut their latest innovations. One such company is McLaren, the car company, who have had an impressive 25 year partnership with JVCKENWOOD in the F1 field.

They have taken to CES to debut the McLaren 675LT JVCKENWOOD Concept, a car that started from the base 657LT Coupe, but is packed with all new sorts of technology to help make it the most advanced car around. From here on, all the words are provided by McLaren, as someone who is not that familiar with cars, I would hate to mess it up.

The technologies incorporated by JVCKENWOOD into the 675LT are staggering. Offering a fully digital cockpit experience, it demonstrates the best of JVCKENWOOD’s CAROPTRONICS sensing device systems. JVCKENWOOD’s all-in-one Head-Up Display (HUD) system combines with its Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) to communicate information to the driver. The system has three components as follows:

1. The HUD system replaces the vehicle’s conventional instrument cluster, and the driver receives all necessary information from the HUD with very little eye movement necessary, especially compared to a traditional display, which requires glancing downward for vehicle information. The advantage for the driver is concentration on the road is optimal, contributing to control, safety and security. The ADAS detect the presence of vehicles, and the display interface devices communicates information collected to drivers.
2. In addition to the HUD,  aerodynamic digital cameras replace the optical side mirrors of the 675LT Coupe. The design of these electronic mirrors reduce weight and drag resistance, while also aiding downforce at high speed.
3. The third component of the CAROPTRONICS system in the McLaren 675LT JVCKENWOOD Concept is DRVM, which replaces a conventional rear view mirror. The combination of three cameras, one on each side and one at the rear of the vehicle, offers a wider rear field of view. DRVM is effective at reducing blind spots thanks to high resolution imagery and optimization of the driver’s control.

To incorporate JVCKENWOOD’s technology, the team created a layered and panoramic yet purposeful interior using a mix of classic McLaren materials and innovative new fabrics.  The result is still recognizable as McLaren, but takes interior design a step forward.  Carbon Black Nappa Leather is used to finish the top of the bespoke dashboard, upper beltline and forward portion of the central floor tunnel.  A new Geometric Black Technical Fabric with a waxy grained finish to prevent reflections is applied to the area in front of the driver.  This is then positioned to appear as if it’s floating by a strip of Satellite Grey Technical Fabric across the dash area and into the doors.  The usual center console is removed altogether with the air conditioning system, a delete option on the 675LT, to offer an even more spacious feel.  The steering wheel is borrowed from McLaren’s most exclusive model, the track-devoted McLaren P1 GTR, with the IPAS and DRS buttons replaced by positioning controls for the Head-Up Display (HUD) with fighter plane inspired graphics. The HUD makes conventional instruments redundant, replaced by a vent framed by satin carbon fiber to provide cooling air directly to the driver.  A flash of color is provided by Calypso Orange anodized vertical strakes, a color and material that also surrounds the steering wheel-mounted start/stop button.

 

Calypso Orange Nappa Leather is applied to the bolsters of the 675LT racing seats and to the armrests around the hip point.  These disappear out of sight once the driver is seated to give a focus on driving.  The orange accent chases the eye down through to the tunnel-mounted leg restraints. Further flashes of orange appear on the seat shoulders for the seat belt guides.  For the seat backs, center of the tunnel and armrests, more Satellite Grey Technical Fabric is employed.  The seat center and floormats, complete with 675LT logo, are covered in hard wearing Strata Ribbed Textile, a new material for this Concept.  Above the driver sits the monitor for the Digital Rear View Mirror (DRVM).  It has been integrated into the Carbon Black Nappa Leather headliner and framed with Deep Cobalt Blue stitching that continues back across above the driver and passenger.

 

The already dramatic exterior of the 675LT Coupe is little changed.  Key functional differences are the door-mounted rear view camera blades and third camera mounted above the rear number plate with its housing painted Palladium Grey.  More visible are JVCKENWOOD silver racing stripes that start from the front hood-mounted McLaren badge and continue over the car’s roof to finish ahead of the Longtail Airbrake.  The stripes are also applied to each side of the 675LT where they disappear into the air intakes.  The silver contrasts against the Onyx  Black bodywork and provides a visual link to the gloss black machined Super-Lightweight 675LT alloy wheels, as well as the part-grey theme of the interior.