McLaren to open 35 dealerships in 19 countries

The global dealership network is expected to help McLaren expand its sales, especially of its upcoming MP4-12C supercar that will go on sale early next year. McLaren aims to sell about 4000 cars a year, and will open 35 dealerships in 19 countries by 2011, with a further expansion to 70 dealerships in 2012.

The full list of cities that will have a McLaren dealership by 2011 are: Birmingham, London, Manchester, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Munich, Brussels, Monaco, Paris, Milan, Barcelona/Madrid, Zurich, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Orange County, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Tampa, Toronto, Manama, Doha, Jeddah, Riyadh, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Johannesburg, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.

McLaren will produce its cars alongside its Formula One operations at its Technology Centre in Woking, England, and wants to create a connection with customers based on its Formula One credentials. McLaren also aims to retain its brand image as a highly specialized maker of high-performance cars to distinguish itself from other luxury and premium brand competitors.

"We will also develop a global network that has fewer retailers than our competitors, selling a smaller volume of higher quality cars," said Antony Sheriff, Managing Director at McLaren Automotive. The McLaren MP4-12C will be launched at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK in July, and McLaren aims to sell about 1000 of the cars in 2011.