McLaren Automotive's new Regional Director joined by Managing Director of Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive Company for launch of McLaren Kuwait.
Company's debut model, the MP4-12C, on display alongside McLaren MP/8: Ayrton Senna's last race-winning Formula 1 car
The launch of McLaren Kuwait benefits from a shared 100 years of history between McLaren and Ali Alghanim & Sons
Kuwait City, Kuwait (February 8th 2011)
McLaren Automotive, the world's newest sports car manufacturer, has opened its first showroom in Kuwait, the latest step in its programme to establish a retail network spanning the world's most prestigious locations. The new McLaren Kuwait showroom opened its doors today (February 8th) with a special event for select VIPs and media.
The event was hosted by Mark Harrison, McLaren Automotive's newly appointed Regional Director for Middle East and Africa, and Fahad Al Ghanim, Managing Director of Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive Company, McLaren Automotive's retail partner in Kuwait. Located on Airport Road, the new McLaren Kuwait showroom is the centrepiece of Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive Company's collection of state-of-the-art showrooms, which house all of the company's luxury brands.
Visitors to the showroom will have the opportunity to see McLaren's first 'pure' high-performance sports cars, the award-winning MP4-12C. The 12C features innovative technologies that enable the car to deliver levels of performance that are even better than competitors twice its price; it features a one-piece, moulded carbon 'MonoCell' chassis, a compact, lightweight and highly efficient 592bhp V8 twin turbo engine, and an innovative Proactive Chassis Control suspension system that ensures ultimate track performance and great comfort on the road.
Mark Harrison said: "The launch of McLaren Kuwait is an exciting development for us as we build momentum around our expansion across the Middle East. The showroom, our second in the region, is a state-of-the-art facility and fully represents the McLaren Automotive brand. In Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive Company, we are working with a partner that is well established and highly respected in the Kuwaiti market. At McLaren, we have strong views on future growth - to offer great cars and an exceptional customer experience; I know our partners in Kuwait share a similar view and I welcome Ali Alghanim & Sons into the McLaren family."
Also on permanent display within the McLaren Kuwait showroom will be an important piece of McLaren's racing heritage. Customers will be able to get up close to the MP4/8 Formula 1 car, driven by three-time Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna. Raced throughout the 1993 season it was the car in which he won his last ever Formula 1 race. Senna is widely regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time, while the MP4/8 produced five victories for the McLaren Formula One team.
Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive Company is one of the initial 35 retailers worldwide being appointed by McLaren Automotive to sell and service its range of high-performance sports cars, starting with the ground-breaking MP4-12C. Founded in the 1960s, Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive Company is well known for consistently providing the highest levels of service to its customers, and is expected to be a key part of the success of the British company in the GCC region. With McLaren's 50th anniversary on the horizon in 2013, a combination of over 100 years of experience, pedigree and success lies at the heart of this exciting new automotive venture in Kuwait.
Yousef Alqatami, General Manager of Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive Company, said: "We are delighted to add the McLaren Automotive brand to our collection of luxury and sports automobiles. The launch of the showroom is the centrepiece of our collection and we look forward to growing the business with McLaren Automotive."
The Middle East is a key market for McLaren Automotive. In addition to the two showrooms now open in Kuwait (Ali Alghanim & Sons) and Dubai (Al Habtoor Motors), the company's full regional network will include retailers in Abu Dhabi (also Al Habtoor Motors), Bahrain (Al Ghassan Motors), Qatar (Dana Motors) and Saudi Arabia (Al Ghassan Motors). There will also be a service centre in Lebanon (Saad & Trad Sal).
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McLaren Automotive is an independent company, chaired by Ron Dennis, and based at the McLaren Technology Centre, the McLaren Group's headquarters in Surrey. McLaren Automotive has a rich and seamless heritage in producing premium sports cars for the road: the McLaren F1 road car, which was launched in 1992, set the world land speed record for a production car, and is regarded as one of the best examples of supercar exotica. The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is the most successful supercar ever in its price bracket, having sold twice as many cars as its nearest carbon-based rival.
McLaren Automotive is now launching a new car company through a global network of highly regarded premium car retailers who will sell a full range of McLaren high-performance sports cars built at an advanced new manufacturing facility, the McLaren Production Centre.
McLaren Automotive's debut model is the MP4-12C. Drawing on the company's long-standing Formula 1 experience in its concept and development, the 12C will be lighter, more powerful, more fuel efficient and more exclusive than its key competition.
It will achieve its performance benchmarks by introducing a unique one-piece moulded carbon chassis into the 'core' sports car segment using a new production method. All McLarens will be based on this innovative carbon technology; McLaren has not built a racing or road car on anything other than a carbon chassis in 30 years.
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Further informationTom PryorMarketing and Public Relations Manager ME and Africa
Phone: +973 1 753 6351
Mobile: +973 36 225 401
Email: tom.pryor@mclaren.com
Michelle Hogan
(Performance PR Middle East)
PR Account Manager
Mobile : +971 (0) 55 5843280
Phone : +971 (0) 4 4347365
E-mail : mich@performanceprme.com
Media website: www.media.mclarenautomotive.com
You Tube: www.youtube.com/mclarenautomotivetv
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mclarenautomotive
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