MCLAREN GEARS UP FOR MIDDLE EAST SUPERCAR SPENDING SPREE

New Dubai showroom and service centre will be McLaren’s largest

McLaren is aiming to double supercar sales in the Middle East and Africa this year, largely driven by demand in the UAE and the arrival of its Artura hybrid model.

The carmaker, which is based in Woking in the UK and has Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat as its largest shareholder, expects Dubai to be one of the top performing retailers within the wider Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

Construction work on a new showroom and service centre in the emirate is under way and will be McLaren’s largest in the world when completed at the end of this year, Robert Holtshausen, the company’s new regional market director for the Middle East, said.

Holtshausen told AGBI that McLaren is also investing in new facilities in Abu Dhabi, re-entering the UAE capital in a deal with Abu Dhabi Motors. McLaren Abu Dhabi is currently operational in a pop-up facility, with a permanent showroom to open in 2024.

The regional plans come as McLaren looks to accelerate growth following a disappointing 2022 when it says production was hindered by industry-wide semi-conductor shortages and supply constraints. 

Announcing global revenue of $168 million and sales of 620 cars in Q1, the company said production of its $260,000 Artura hybrid supercar was “ramping up”.

He added that sales of the Artura, which has a top speed of 330km/hour and can go from 0-100km/hour in just three seconds, were “currently surpassing our expectations for demand” in the Middle East and Africa. 

The first owner to take delivery in the region was UAE-based entrepreneur and car enthusiast Aliev Kiril.

Mazen Al Nashar, general manager at McLaren Dubai, said the market continues to see growth in demand for hybrid supercars in the region.