McLaren
London at One Hyde Park – Click above for high-res images
Know what you're looking at right now? An empty showroom. (Or rather, a preview rendering thereof.) McLaren London will open its doors at One Hyde Park as the first of 35 new dealers opening in 19 countries around the world. Thing is, they may not actually have any cars to sell.
Reports quoting McLaren's regional director for Asia, the Middle East and Africa (that's a big chunk of the world right there) suggest that the new MP4-12C, which we sampled in February, is already sold out for the next three years. Those numbers, however, may be based on the initial production rate: McLaren is gearing up to build 1,000 units of the MP4 each year, but capacity could reach up to 4,000 cars rolling off the new assembly line at Woking to meet demand. Now, McLaren isn't likely to build 4,000 units of the MP4 anytime soon, but could reach that capacity with other models on the way, and in the meantime could give them some room the maneuver should demand sufficiently outstrip supply.
However many units McLaren builds, they'll be sold through those 35 dealers. Following the first location in London, additional UK dealers are scheduled to open in Manchester and Birmingham, followed by European locations in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. All the dealers are set to be open by year's end. Among them will be ten in North America: Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Newport Beach (Orange County, California), Philadelphia, San Francisco, Tampa and Toronto.
If the order books are indeed full, then all those dealerships could end up serving the needs of its existing customers – at least for the first couple of years – rather than luring in new ones. Follow the jump for the press release.
McLAREN GLOBAL RETAILER NETWORK LAUNCHES WITH OPENING OF PRESTIGIOUS McLAREN LONDON SHOWROOM AT ONE HYDE PARK
- McLaren London to open new showroom at One Hyde Park on 21 June 2011
- Flagship showroom opening marks the launch of a McLaren global retailer network totaling 35 locations in 19 countries
- World's best car retailers responsible for sales and service of the groundbreaking new MP4-12C high-performance sports car from bespoke McLaren showrooms and high-tech aftersales sites
On 21 June 2011, McLaren Automotive will open the doors to its first global retailer, McLaren London. By the end of this year, McLaren will have 35 bespoke retailers in 19 countries worldwide selected by McLaren to offer the best in customer sales and service for a range of McLaren cars, beginning with the ground-breaking new MP4-12C high-performance sports car.
McLaren Automotive has invested nearly £800m since 2005 to establish itself as the world's newest sports car company. The launch of a new global retailer network is the latest milestone in this development programme.
The flagship McLaren showroom is located at London's newest and most prestigious address – One Hyde Park: The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, London and, as with every retailer in the new McLaren Automotive network, has been selected for its ability to demonstrate an outstanding track record in offering excellent customer service and aftersales support. McLaren Automotive is committed to ensuring the experience customers have with their dealers in every market is as revolutionary as the MP4-12C sports car itself. For example, unlike any other automotive manufacturer, McLaren is stocking its retail network with a spare of every serviceable part for the MP4-12C: what McLaren calls its 'pitstop' service concept that ensures fast and efficient repair.
Following the London launch, two more McLaren retailers for the UK will open in Manchester on June 30, and Birmingham on July 5. The remaining 32 sites in the global network will be operational by the end of this year, beginning in July and through the summer with the European network in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland.
The innovative new MP4-12C will be the first in a range of high-performance, highly efficient, carbon-fibre based sports cars from McLaren Automotive. The 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.
All future McLaren sports cars will be built in the new £40m McLaren Production Centre (MPC), situated adjacent to the stunning McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) in Woking, England. Up to 1,000 cars will be hand-built at MPC for worldwide distribution this year, with an annual production run of approximately 4,000 McLarens per year when the model line-up is complete by the middle of the decade.
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