By Steven Symes 
Suffering financial turmoil, McLaren is changing hands yet again, with the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority assuming ownership through CYVN Holdings. In other words, the government of Abu Dhabi now owns the iconic British supercar brand as the automotive landscape worldwide continues to shift.
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Speculation is this might push the electrification issue for McLaren. After all, CYVN Holdings also has a stake in Chinese EV maker Nio. The Emirates have been eager to get into “green” technologies.
Adding to that speculation, Jassem Mohammed Bu Ataba Al Zaabi, CYVN’s chairman, said, “By combining McLaren’s iconic heritage and expertise with CYVN’s advanced engineering and technology capabilities, we aim to redefine high-performance mobility and set a new benchmark for excellence.”
That kind of talk about redefining automotive performance these days is usually in reference to advanced EV powertrain technology. We’ll see if McLaren veers off into that direction like what’s happened with another iconic British automaker, Lotus.
McLaren has been running a deficit for years, with its troubles deepening during the pandemic, which must be frustrating not only for the former owners but management as well. After all, Ferrari is flush with cash, but other direct competitors are for the most part attached to larger automotive groups, like Lamborghini.
Some of you might be thinking the British owned McLaren up to this point, but that isn’t true. It was previously owned by Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, which is the Kingdom of Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund, a deal that was finalized back in March 2024. However, Bahrain has had part ownership of the company since January 2007.
As reported by The Telegraph, the sales agreement allows Mumtalakat to keep the McLaren motorsports division, but CYVN is a minority shareholder is that aspect of the business. As we’ve seen plenty of times, that could change in the future.
Image via McLaren