NEW YORK MOTOR SHOW: Sports Series to double McLaren sales
Lofty sales target set for ‘more attainable’ McLaren range, starting with 570S CoupeMcLaren Automotive sold 1649 units globally in 2014; a large leap from the 120 examples of its first volume road car (forgiving the 1990s McLaren F1), the MP4-12C, in 2011.
This sales growth has been supported by an expanding global dealer network. There are now 70 McLaren dealerships spread across 32 markets, and as the business has been profitable through 2013 and 2014, there is a new sales target: to reach 4000 global sales.
“We are aiming for 4000 sales in 2017 or 2018,” Jolyon Nash, McLaren Automotive executive director of global sales and marketing, told assembled Australian journalists at the reveal of the 570S Coupe in New York.
The 4000 figure appears to be the balance point for the independent brand; Nash going on to indicate that the brand “needs to remain exclusive.”
The 570S presents McLaren’s first foray into the sports car segment, and will highlight a new ‘Sports Series’ that will spawn “three body types”, according to Nash.
It will be followed by a cheaper, less-powerful 540C Coupe which will debut at the Shanghai motor show in late April, with a Spider to follow later; though intriguingly Nash said: “It won’t be the second Sports Series McLaren body style you will see.”
When we later quizzed Mark Vinnels, McLaren’s executive director of product development, he simply said: “Look at what the segment rivals are doing,” which could point to a Targa or Cabriolet variant.
It is the Sports Series vehicles which Nash believes will drive the brand beyond its 1649 global sales in 2014, with 26 sold to Australia.
“We expect that it will do well from the word go,” explained Nash. “It is absolutely a critical car for us… it will probably more than double the size of our business.”
Although no Australian pricing has been announced ("it’s hard to account for a local market with taxes”), Nash said the 570S comes in at around $US185,000 in North America, where it undercuts the Porsche 911 Turbo S, which costs $US182,700 in the US.
Nash said the 570S will arrive in Australia “very early next year”.
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