The Gentleman Magazine Issue 4 | August/September | Page 31

The Asia Pacific region grew by 90% while the newly combined
Middle East, Africa and Central and South America region
grew by a notable 69%.   In addition, the global footprint of
the McLaren retailer network continued apace in 2016, with
new dealer facilities opened in Bristol (UK), Boston and Palm
Beach (USA), Gold Coast (Australia) and Fukuoka in Japan.
In parallel with the vehicle sales success, McLaren Automotive
also saw substantial growth in non-car-related activities. 
McLaren Special Operations (MSO), the company’s bespoke
division, posted an increase in revenue of 147%, while the
Aftersales function recorded turnover growth of 37% for the
year.
”2016 was an extraordinary year for McLaren Automotive, with
a near-doubling of sales and the completion of our 10,000th
car,”  commented McLaren Automotive Executive Director –
Global Sales and Marketing, Jolyon Nash. “While we will never
again see another jump in sales volume of this magnitude, the
reception to the new 720S and the new 570S Spider has been
incredibly positive and initial orders for both are beyond our
expectations. Having the new, second-generation Super Series
and the first-ever Sports Series convertible in showrooms
will give every one of the 80 McLaren retailers worldwide the
opportunity to contribute strongly to another record year for
the McLaren Automotive business in 2017.”
McLaren Composites Technology Centre to bring chassis
production in-house
McLaren Automotive announced in February 2017 that it
will construct a new Composites Technology Centre (MCTC)
that will be responsible for the development and manufacture
of the Monocell and Monocage carbon fibre chassis used in
future McLaren models.  Located in Sheffield, UK, the MCTC
project is a partnership between McLaren Automotive, the
University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research
Centre (AMRC) and Sheffield City Council. Combined
investment of approaching £50M will create the facility and
more than 200 jobs.  When commissioned and running at full
production from 2020, the MCTC is targeted to deliver cost
savings of around £10M annually compared to today and the
chassis supply will increase average percentage (by value) of a
McLaren car sourced in the UK by around 8%, from its current
average of around 50% (depending on model).
On-going investment in Research & Development and new
products
During 2016, McLaren Automotive invested £129.1M in new
projects, across the Sports Series, Super Series and Ultimate
Series product families.  The Track22 Business Plan sees
McLaren investing an industry-leading percentage of turnover
(20% in 2016) in R&D activities over the period of the plan.
This will take the company towards its objective of producing
more than 4,500 vehicles annually by the end of 2022, with at
least 50% of these cars featuring hybrid powertrain technology. 
The Business Plan also includes the development of a fully-
electric powertrain for a concept car to evaluate its possible use
in a future Ultimate Series. In 2016, the early prototype stages
of the development work commenced.
McLaren Automotive is also investing in senior management
infrastructure to support its product development plans.  Dr
Jens Ludmann was announced in May 2017 as the company’s
new Chief Operating Officer.   Reporting to the CEO, Dr
Ludmann will oversee the launch of 13 new models or
derivatives during the next five years and focus on further
developing internal working processes, relationships and
disciplines across Product Development, Purchasing, Supplier
Quality Assurance and Manufacturing.
A year of transition for the McLaren Production Centre
The McLaren Production Centre (MPC), the sole location
for the hand-assembly of McLaren Automotive sportscars
and supercars, underwent signficant operational changes
during 2016 calendar year.  A second shift was implemented
in January to meet demand for Sports Series models, leading
to the creation of 250 new jobs within the manufacturing,
quality and logistics departments. This strategic development
took capacity at the MPC from 10 cars a day to 20, supporting
annual production in the region of 5,000 units.
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