McLaren expecting GT to be a hit with customers

MCLAREN Automotive believes its newest offering, the all-new GT supercar, will become one of the best-selling models in its line-up, due to its blend of performance, usability and relative affordability.

Set to arrive into Australian showrooms around November, the GT is priced at $399,995 plus on-road costs – an eye-watering pricetag for most but the third-most affordable offering in the British brand’s line-up, behind the entry-level 540C and 570S.

The GT is the most road-focused McLaren model yet (as opposed to track performance), with a more comfortable suspension set-up and practical storage, with a total of 570 litres of cargo capacity available across front and rear compartments.

Speaking to GoAuto at the Australian reveal of the GT, McLaren Asia Pacific managing director George Biggs said the brand expects the new coupe to be a hit with customers due to its price and performance.

“It’s positioned just under $400,000 AUD, so it would represent one of the lower price positions,” he said.

“I think naturally through its looks, naturally through the price it’s at, and what it offers, I think it will probably be a greater proportion of our model mix here.

“So, if you ask my guess, I think we’ll see this will take up a fair proportion of the model mix going forward, but we’ll let the customers decide that.”

While Australia’s overall new-car market has dipped 7.7 per cent to the end of July, McLaren has managed to increase its sales – albeit only by two units, from 53 to 55 – in market conditions where aspirational performance cars are often the first to experience declining sales.

Mr Biggs said the strong performance by McLaren so far this year has not come as a surprise as the brand can usually predict sales six months ahead due to vehicles taking around that long to be delivered after being ordered.

He said the success of McLaren is judged not by how many deliveries are being made, but how many customers are coming into the showroom and ordering vehicles.

“We allow our customers, and the demand we’ve got for our product, to dictate the volume that we bring to the market,” Mr Biggs said.

“Therefore, our visibility and our focus is six months out – what the order book looks like and how many orders we’re getting for cars we’re going to bring to market in six months’ time.

“From that, the current view is there is a good, strong demand for our products, there’s a good demand for cars of this segment still, and I think (the GT) will bring new customers and add to our portfolio.

“I think we’re in a good situation, and I think we’re very pleased with how the market has developed and how its continued to accept the products we’re bringing to market.”

When asked if McLaren would consider bringing a more affordable, high-volume offering into its line-up, Mr Biggs said it was unlikely due to both the production caps from McLaren’s factory as well as the high level of expensive technology included in each of its models.

“Last year we produced 4800 cars, and we’ve said through Track25 we’ll go to between 5000 and 6000, and then when you look at the demand that we’ve got for these cars and the capacity of our production facility, we’re kind of maxed out,” he said.

“From an industrial side of the business, for sure we’re limited that way.

“When you look at the technology that we’ve got in our cars – so every car has been built with a carbon-fibre chassis, our V8 engine and some of the technology you get in the car – there isn’t really space for a car of that capability to be at a cheaper price point.”