McLaren Automotive announces its first Middle East dealers

• Al Ghassan Motors and Al Habtoor Motors revealed as official McLaren Automotive dealers in KSA and UAE
• Saad & Trad to host Lebanon service centre
• McLaren’s first car, the MP4-12C, expected to hit the regional market in early summer 2011

McLaren Automotive, the world’s newest sports car company, has confirmed the names of the dealers in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that will join a global network of 35 partners to represent the company and market its first car, the McLaren MP4-12C. Additionally, the company has now announced the name of its local service partner in Lebanon.

Both Al Ghassan Motors in Saudi Arabia and Al Habtoor Motors in the UAE have many years of experience and a proven record of offering great customer service in their respective countries. This was highly attractive for McLaren Automotive, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE being the company’s two key Middle Eastern markets.

In Lebanon, Saad & Trad will host a McLaren service centre in Beirut to cater for McLaren owners who need assistance in Lebanon. The service is particularly targeted at the many Gulf travelers who take their cars to the cooler Levant countries over the summer.

Ian Gorsuch, McLaren Automotive’s regional director for the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, said: “With Al Ghassan Motors and Al Habtoor Motors, McLaren Automotive has two dealers that stand among the very best in the region. They have great respect and understanding for McLaren Automotive’s brand and heritage.”

“And with more than 50 years’ experience in the automotive business, Saad & Trad enjoys a strong reputation for providing the very best support to customers, having established itself as a leading name in the Lebanese automotive market,” he added.“The Beirut service centre will support our GCC customers who are present in the country, reinforcing McLaren Automotive’s dedication to providing the highest levels of customer care.”

“The GCC is one of McLaren Automotive’s most significant markets. To lay down the foundations for enduring success in the region, our objective is to combine an excellent product with the highest standards of customer care. This is why the reputation and experience of our chosen representatives proved highly attractive to us; it ensures that our customers will receive the very best service,” Gorsuch said.

The company’s first car, the MP4-12C, is expected to enter the regional market in early summer 2011, and there has already been great interest from Arab car enthusiasts. Globally, the car has received over 2,700 expressions of interest registered on www.mclarenautomotive.com. This means that the initial interest in the 12C has already exceeded the first year’s allocation, which will be limited to just 1,000 MP4-12Cs globally. Up to 20% of this production run is set to come to the Middle East once the model range is complete. Subsequently, McLaren Automotive will move to a full model range of high-performance, two-seat, mid-engine sports cars; the aim then is to sell around 4,000 cars annually by the middle of the decade.