McLaren MP4-12C 2014 News

It's not as sharp or fast as their F1 racers, but it has two seats, air-con and a sound system. And anyone in Australia with about $500,000 to splash on something special can join them, as the 12C is now officially on sale Down Under. The supercar brand introduced its MP4-12C to Australia this week, celebrating the appointment of Trivett as its Down Under representative. The MP4-12C the first of a range of machines from the world's most successful racing car company, is a carbon-cored, Formula One-inspired bespoke design that is not only rapid but boasts one of the lowest CO2 emissions in its class. The mid-engined MP4 doesn't share any components with other cars — even the engine is in-house — and is built in England at McLaren's factory. The car is built with a carbon MonoCell — a carbon-composite construction pioneered by McLaren in the 1981 Formula One MP4/1 model — but to reduce costs, is moulded as one piece. It is the first time a chassis has been made this way. McLaren claims that this design allows a much narrower structure overall which creates a more compact car that is easier to position on the road and more rewarding to drive. The engine is a bespoke McLaren 1M838T2 3.8-litre, V8 bi-turbo that produces about 450kW/600Nm and drives through a McLaren seven-speed Seamless Shift dual clutch gearbox (SSG). Sheriff says the engine delivers the highest horsepower to CO2 ratio of any car on the market with an internal combustion engine "and that includes petrol and diesel hybrids". There has been a very strong response to the car in Australia. Trivett was holding about 20 deposits before the unveiling this week – and five more when the launch night finished, Trivett executive chairman Greg Duncan says. “That doesn’t normally happen at the launch of a car,” Duncan points out. “People are usually more inclined to drive it first, touch and feel it. “But here’s a car where we can’t even tell them the firm price, they haven’t driven it, yet five more deposits were on the table at the end of the night.” Duncan happily acknowledges the demand is enough to outstrip the first quota of 12 to 15 cars, which will start arriving in November. So some will have to wait until next year, when the quota will be raised to 40. “I think by then we will be in a situation where it will be well-managed allocation and delivery process.” Duncan says the arrival of McLaren is an indication of the Australian economy’s strength. “We certainly didn’t escape the global financial crisis, but Australia didn’t feel the full impact other countries did,” he says. “In terms of people buying super-luxury cars, I think the reaction to the crisis is now largely past. Those people reacted by moving to consolidate and protect their situation, and now the economy is more stable and predictable they are turning to giving themselves some attention. “We’re finding that across all (Trivett) super-luxury brands, not just McLaren.”

Even without a price, but with a confirmed 0-100km/h sprint in 3.3 seconds and a top speed of 330km/h, they have been snapped up by keen drivers and collectors. Anyone who wants a car will be waiting until at least the start of 2012, or potentially longer, to park the Ferrari rival in their driveway. McLaren has now confirmed its Australia showroom will be in Alexandria in Sydney as part of the Trivett Group, as it races to satisfy customer demand from its base in Britain. Two other McLaren road rockets are also underway, while the British company - best known for the Formula One team currently headlined by world champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button - is also developing a race-ready 12C coupe. "The allocation for this year, which is 15 cars, are all pre-sold, says McLaren's Asia-Pacific marketing chief, Ian Gorsuch. "We're already well into next year, with an allocation of 30-40 cars. And that's without the price." The first delivery will happen in October and it won't be a celebrity delivery like the ones for Shane Warne, Australia's most famous Lamborghini driver. "To be quite frank, I don't know who it is. If you're the first person on the list you will be the first person to get a car. We're being transparent about that," he says. The 12C is expected to cost more than $500,000 in Australia but, as McLaren works flat-out on a new factory at its base in Woking, it is already trailing demand. "Worldwide we're at about an 18-month or two-year order bank. The new factory comes online in May-June of next year," says Gorsuch. He refuses to name any of the Australia buyers but says they are not just Ferrari owners who want test the McLaren experience. "The very first ones are all the typical early adopters. They are the ones who have to have the car. They put a deposit down without even knowing the price. "The ones coming through now are less into drama, and have more of an understanding of the engineering. They are quite considered." Gorsuch says McLaren is already being hit with special requests that will be handled by a division called McLaren Owner Exclusive. It goes beyond such things as colour choice - McLaren says it can do anything short of the very special chrome silver on its F1 cars - and the Corsa tyre and lightweight package options already available. "We have people asking for the silver of the race cars, but we cannot supply it as it's only intended to endure for the race distance. Still, we're working on it." Gorsuch says McLaren has an aggressive plan for its road car division, starting with the GT3 race version just announced but yet to be made public. "The first unveiling of the 12C was a few months ago, so almost annually there will be something cropping up. We'll have a complete range of models and derivatives from the middle of the decade. And we want something new and fresh each year."

The world's newest supercar company has Australia in its sights and is finalising a down under distribution plan for its first car, the McLaren MP4-12C.  McLaren Cars intends to have three supercars in production within five years and is going all-out to rival Ferrari and Lamborghini, tapping its winning experience in Formula One for everything from a new V8 engine to grand prix-style aerodynamics. The MP4-12C has already been revealed and McLaren executives have recently been in Australia to scout for a local agent.  One of the companies it targeted is the Trivett Automotive group, which is already the Australian importer and sole dealer for Rolls- Royce, the Aston Martin importer for NSW, Victoria and the ACT, and the Bentley importer for NSW and the ACT. "Yes we have spoken to McLaren. We are very keen, because I think it will be a terrific brand and I think it's a terrific product to fit alongside the brands we already represent," says the head man at Trivett Automotive, Greg Duncan. "It will be low volume but a terrific car. And there is a roll-out plan for three models.  We were contacted by McLaren and they indicated they had been referred to us. I believe they have talked to a couple of companies in Sydney and Melbourne." Duncan does not know the other companies involved in the McLaren pitch but he believes Trivett has a good chance.  "From what we can gather, their preference is to appoint an importer- dealer in Sydney, and then in due course that operation would roll out a dealership in Melbourne. They are the two priority locations for McLaren." Duncan says McLaren has big plans for its supercar operation, which is run by former F1 boss Ron Dennis. He is the front man for the 12C project and also led McLaren's previous road-car efforts with the McLaren F1 - which was the world's fastest road car for a decade - and the joint-venture Mercedes-McLaren SLR. "What they were able to show us as the insights into the McLaren company was very impressive. It's a business that makes money, and they are very aggressive," Duncan says.  "There are three models in the plan. They are talking about a volume planning of around 25-30 per cent of Ferrari's volumes.  The first model they will introduce into Australia, early 2011, is the mid-priced model. It's about $500,000.  The second model they would probably introduce within 12 months, will be left-hand drive only so no real interest to Australia. In the following year they will have their third model, the lower priced and highest-volume car." Duncan says Trivett expects a decision from McLaren early next year on its agency.  "They have gone back to think about it. They indicated they would be back in touch within two or three months with the party they want to progress with," he says.

The McLaren Automotive MP4-12C, the first of a range of machines from the world's most successful racing car company, is a carbon-cored, Formula One-inspired bespoke design that is not only rapid but boasts one of the lowest CO2 emissions in its class. McLaren, driven by chairman Ron Dennis, has already built two critically-acclaimed sportscars — the McLaren F1 (1993-1998) and the world's best-selling luxury supercar, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (2003-2009). The mid-engined MP4-12C takes the price tag down a notch, expecting to debut in the $250,000-$350,000 bracket. That puts it up against the Ferrari 458, Lamborghini Gallardo, Porsche 911 Turbo, Bentley Continental GT and Aston Martin DB9. The car doesn't share any components with other cars — even the engine is inhouse — and will be built in England at McLaren's factory. McLaren Automotive managing director Antony Sheriff says the company planned a range of sports cars that were true to its philosophy. "When we embarked on the 12C project, we wanted to re-write the rules of sports car design," he says "The 12C offers performance and technology that exceeds that of the world's most expensive and sophisticated supercars, while competing in a much more accessible market segment. To achieve this result, we designed every component from scratch to meet the extreme goals of the 12C and avoid any compromise. Forget what you know about sports car companies, McLaren is different." The car is built with a Carbon MonoCell — a carbon-composite construction pioneered by McLaren in the 1981 Formula One MP4/1 model — but to reduce costs, is moulded as one piece. It is the first time a chassis has been made this way. McLaren claims that this design allows a much narrower structure overall which creates a more compact car that is easier to position on the road and more rewarding to drive. The engine is a bespoke McLaren 1M838T2 3.8-litre, V8 bi-turbo that produces about 450kW/600Nm and drives through a McLaren seven-speed Seamless Shift dual clutch gearbox (SSG). Sheriff says the engine delivers the highest horsepower to CO2 ratio of any car on the market with an internal combustion engine "and that includes petrol and diesel hybrids". Although the recent economic downturn has affected the performance car sector, McLaren Automotive believes that the MP4-12C's market segment has grown from 8000 sales in 2000 to more than 28,000 in 2007. Sheriff says this highlights the potential that exists and that it will soon return to at least 2007 levels. "By the time the 12C is launched in 2011 we expect the economic conditions to be much improved," he says. "We have already seen significant interest in the car and the supply of the 12C will be relatively scarce; in its first year we plan to produce just 1000 cars which represents only 3.5 per cent of its market." McLaren Automotive will distribute the 12C and future models through a brand-new retail network in all global markets.