MCLAREN Automotive, the luxury high-performance sports car business whose principal shareholder is Bahrain’s Mumtalakat and whose Middle East base is in Bahrain, has experienced an exceptionally strong start to 2013 across the Middle East as it strengthens its GCC network.

A strong end to 2012 for sales of the McLaren 12C Coupe (the reigning Middle East Car of the Year), and 12C Spider, has continued into 2013, with increased production for the region, driven by customer demand, leading to higher than anticipated sales.

Mark Harrison, McLaren automotive regional director, Middle East and Africa, said: “Despite a fixed production volume at our UK headquarters, McLaren is expanding its global network by a third in 2013 to over 50 retailers in this, our 50th anniversary year. This naturally increases demand within our network for every car from the planned production volume. Our Middle East retailers anticipated a strong start to the year therefore we secured extra production slots for the first quarter 2013 to support their businesses. It is proving to be an exceptionally encouraging start to the year for us after a great first full year of business in 2012.”

And it is not just on the sales front where McLaren is growing, as three new showrooms in the Middle East are set to further strengthen the brand’s position in the region.

The recent opening of the new landmark McLaren Manama showroom in Bahrain during the 2013 Formula 1 Gulf Air Grand Prix was to be followed by the inauguration within weeks of the first McLaren showroom in Qatar in Doha. A temporary McLaren Riyadh facility was also set for an opening while a new permanent state-of-the-art showroom is under construction in the Saudi capital. McLaren is matching strong demand for its 12C model against continued expansion in the region.

SUCCESSFUL TOUR
The McLaren P1 had a successful tour of Bahrain – the home of Mumtalakat – and the UAE in February in prototype form, and a subsequent debut in production form at the 2013 Geneva Auto Show in March.

The Middle East region takes about 10 per cent of all 12C production, whereas demand for the P1 in the Middle East is driving the regional office to try and secure well over 10 per cent of the McLaren P1 allocation. But with just 375 P1s confirmed to be built from late-2013, the car will still remain a rarity on the roads of Manama, Dubai or Riyadh.

Harrison commented: “The McLaren P1 made its Middle East debut in Bahrain in early February and moved onto the UAE where it caused quite a stir. I am hopeful that some of the first P1s built later this year will come to the region as there is a huge passion here for both performance and limited edition cars. Our aim for the McLaren P1 is for it to be the best driver’s car in the world, and to build fewer than our main rivals’ supercar models, thereby satisfying that passion.”

McLaren Automotive is a British manufacturer of luxury, high-performance sports cars, located at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey. The Middle East has a network of retailers located in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE.

Following the company’s global launch in 2010, McLaren Automotive launched the groundbreaking 12C and 12C Spider and, in keeping with its plan to introduce a new model each year, recently unveiled the McLaren P1 at the Paris Motor Show. The brand continues to expand, operating through a dedicated global network of retailers in every major automotive market.

In the development, engineering and manufacture of its range of innovative and highly acclaimed sports cars, McLaren Automotive has partnered with world-leading companies to provide specialist expertise and technology. These include Akebono, AkzoNobel, ExxonMobil, Pirelli, SAP and TAG Heuer.

McLaren has pioneered the use of carbon fibre in vehicle production over the past 30 years, and since introducing a carbon chassis into racing and road cars with the 1981 McLaren MP4/1 and 1993 McLaren F1 respectively, McLaren has not built a car without a carbon fibre chassis.