By the end of 2011, McLaren will have 35 bespoke retailers in 19 countries worldwide, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE.
All of these retailers have been carefully selected by McLaren to offer the highest standards of customer service, as it launches a range of high-performance sports cars, starting with the groundbreaking McLaren MP4-12C.
Formula 1 world champions and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, as well as McLaren Group and McLaren Automotive Executive Chairman, Ron Dennis, hosted the opening.
Recognizing the launch of the global network of McLaren car retailers, and the arrival of the first ‘pure’ McLaren sports car, the event also presented past McLaren track successes with iconic trophies and two of Lewis Hamilton’s race-winning Formula 1 cars.
Ron Dennis said: “We are fiercely proud of the McLaren brand and I am personally proud that we are welcoming into the McLaren family some of the world’s best car retailers, many of whom are with us tonight. I look forward to delivering great cars to them, as I know we share a common objective: we are driven to succeed and we try to be the best at everything that we do.”
McLaren has invested nearly £800m since 2005 to establish itself as the world’s newest sports car company.
That investment has focused on the development of a range of innovative, technologically ground-breaking, and bespoke high-performance sports cars, as well as the construction of a brand new manufacturing facility (the McLaren Production Center - MPC) at the company’s headquarters.
McLaren anticipates expanding its global retail network to around 70 locations by the middle of the decade when the full range of cars is under production at the MPC in Woking, England: as the MP4-12C goes on sale, three further models or derivatives are currently already under development.
The McLaren network will be small in number compared to other premium brands, driving McLaren’s partners to ensure a high-value is placed on McLaren customers.
McLaren’s strategy is to support its retailers in servicing customers to a high level by keeping volumes low and business profitable, rather than stretching retailers through high volumes and too many locations.
The company’s first ‘pure’ McLaren sports car, the innovative new MP4-12C is experiencing high demand with over 18 months of production currently accounted for.
The carbon-fiber based 12C will take on the world’s best premium performance cars and is lighter, more powerful, more fuel efficient and more exclusive than its key competition.
The Middle East is a key market for McLaren Automotive, and the company has set up a regional network that includes retailers in Bahrain (Al Ghassan Motors), Kuwait (Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive), Qatar (Dana Motors), Saudi Arabia (Al Ghassan Motors) and the UAE (Al Habtoor Motors), as well as a service center in Lebanon (Saad & Trad Sal).
Speaking in London, McLaren Automotive regional director, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, Ian Gorsuch, said: “With the opening of this stunning flagship showroom, our attention can turn toward the launch of the Middle East retail network and arrival of the MP4-12C later this year. We are very excited about bringing this remarkable car to the region, where it has already received such a positive reaction.”
