McLaren Automotive, manufacturer of the new MP4-12C sports car, recently announced that the Daytona Group will be the company’s South African distributor. CAR spoke to McLaren’s regional director for the Middle East and Africa, Ian Gorsuch, about the company’s eagerly-awaited entrance to the South African market.
CAR: You see South Africa as a key market for McLaren. What sort of volumes are expecting for our market and have are there any confirmed orders for the MP4-12C?
Ian Gorsuch – In terms of volumes, South Africa is not a large market compared to the likes of Europe and Japan, but what we know about the South African car buyer is that he is very knowledgeable and cosmopolitan – a real enthusiast. We didn’t want the car to be imported and possibly run the risk of being neglected in terms of servicing and maintenance, so rather than fight against the requirement to be here it seemed pertinent to rather embrace the market fully and establish a presence here. In terms of establishing volumes we look at such indicators as interest generated via the web in each country. We also look at our competitors to get an idea of demand within a given market region, but we’re careful not to read too closely into such an indicator given the tendency for some competitors to work solely on allocation (i.e they may be allocated 100 cars, only sell 90 units and force, sometimes with varying degrees of success, the remaining 10). The best indication however is gleaned during the final business plan when we’re shortlisting the dealer partner candidates – they know the markets well and can give an accurate account of what the market is doing. The present allocation for South Africa stands at 20 cars a year.
CAR – In working through the Daytona Group, McLaren will be distributed alongside other premium and performance brands such as Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce. Is there a potential for a conflict of interests in terms of brand identity considering that the exercise at hand is to establish the McLaren name?
IG – When selecting a dealer partnership in any country, we look for a distributor that will look after our customers and our brand as opposed to those solely interested in shifting stock and increasing their market share. We tend to work with dealers who are already in the luxury segment as they have an understanding of how to look after customers. We have some dealers who already distribute Ferrari and Lamborghini, and we view those as being competitors to the mid-engined two seater that is the MP4-12C – in the case of Daytona’s distribution of Aston and Rolls-Royce, we don’t view those front-engined Grand Tourers and saloons as competitors to our car. In that respect we’re more concerned about the quality of service our partner dealer provides as opposed to the existing marques that they distribute.
CAR – With regards to operating within the Daytona Group, will McLaren offerings be integrated with the existing showrooms or will they receive a separate showroom whilst sharing workshops with the other brands?
IG – Obviously it’s crucial for us that the dealership is profitable, but we’re not arrogant or large enough in terms of volumes to say ‘spend lots of money on a showroom’ as it’s actually using dealer money to promote our brand. We have a phrase that is ‘sanity, not vanity’ – it simply makes good business sense to share both showroom and workshop resources and rather channel our funds into training up our technical services personnel and taking care of the customer. In that respect we’re very happy to share showrooms, as long as the design and brand definition for our products is present.
CAR – You’ve established presences in the major metropoles of Johannesburg and Cape Town. Considering that there is a great deal of spending power in the KZN region, would there ever be a point where demand exceeds expectations to the extent that a case could be made for a McLaren facility in Durban?
IG – The first facility we would put in Durban would be a service centre, as we wouldn’t want people to purchase our cars in that region and find that there isn’t a facility where than can have their cars serviced or maintained. We’re in discussion with Daytona regarding this matter and the present consensus is that we’d have technicians offering a roaming diagnostic capability, but a service centre in such an area would be a greater priority than a showroom should the need arise.
CAR – Given the interest already shown in the MP4-12C, potential buyers must surely have enquired as to indicative pricing. Can you give us a ballpark figure?
IG – The ballpark figure at this stage is about R3- to 3,5 million, which places it in the market segment currently occupied by the Ferrari 458 Italia and Lamborghini Gallardo. We’re still a year away from the official launch and that figure is still at a tentative stage. As we’re establishing a new name in the market, we don’t want to be greedy so we’re in discussion with our partners to ensure that we come in at the right price.
CAR – The McLaren ownership experience has been mentioned on a number of occasions, what does it entail in terms of service and maintenance of your products?
IG – There are all the normal things such as the technicians receiving intensive training at our UK facility with constant top-up training and the availability of diagnostic equipment to correctly maintain our cars. We’re aware that one of the biggest frustrations that customers in this segment have is being told that the dealer is waiting for parts, so what we are doing is subsidising a first order of parts to every dealer so that before they are allowed to sell their first car they have to have a complete stock of parts. We want to ensure that 80 per cent of the car’s parts, including the engine and the gearbox, will be in stock.
CAR – Can you order the MP4-12C now and when do deliveries to our market commence?
IG – McLaren South Africa have already been taking deposits and the first cars should be here by the middle of 2011. Prospective owners can go onto www.mclarenautomotive.com to create their own cars via a configurator package that allows them to tailor such aspects as body colour and interior trim. We’ve noticed that customers in this market like to ensure that their car has an individual character, so we’re launching the MP4-12C with a choice of 17 exterior colours, but we also offer the opportunity for prospective customers to specify a bespoke colour for their car and even specify the colour of such components as brake callipers. Given the degree to which the cars can be configured, it’s safe to say that there won’t be two similar cars on the road.
CAR – Could you give us a description or profile of your typical McLaren buyer?
IG – The McLaren buyer will not be driven by brand alone and will want to know about the technology and engineering that’s in the car. What will attract them is the fact that there are technologies present in the MP4-12C that will not be found on any other road car. We’re looking at a technically-minded clientele, for example one who wears a particularly intricate chronograph rather than something that’s just a flashy watch. Someone engaged by the intricacy of the engineering and pays strong attention to detail.
CAR – What do you consider to be the MP4-12C’s main rivals in the marketplace?
IG – There are competitors in the minds of the man on the street and in the media, but we’ve no intention of being ‘bigger’ than other marques in the sportscar segment. We didn’t say ‘that’s how Ferrari make a car, we’ll follow that formula and make it better’ we rather asked ‘how can we make a road car that represents McLaren’s values?’ We’ll sit in the 2-seater, mid-engined super-sportscar segment. Like the aforementioned buyer profile, we’re looking at offering something new to someone who’s technically-minded and a driving enthusiast – possibly someone who’s had Porsche 911 Turbos for a number of years and wants something different but with those attributes.
CAR- It’s understandable that McLaren wishes to remain a niche or very focused entity when it comes to its product offerings. But given the demand for more attainable/affordable sportscars in markets such as the U.S and Europe, would the company ever consider going that route?
IG – We will have a range of cars underpinned by carbon chassis in the two-seater, super-sportscar mould. There will be a range of models and derivatives covering price points both above and below that of the MP4-12C – they will all do slightly different jobs at different price levels. They will sport different bodies but will be underpinned by revised versions of the MP4-12C chassis, which was designed in such a way to be flexible with regards to its application across a model range.
CAR – McLaren has a rich motorsports heritage. Could we see the MP4-12C compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans or other forms of GT racing in the near future?
IG – I think it would be naive of us to say no; we are looking at it, but at this stage our priorities currently lie with the establishment of our company and our products. It is, however, something that we are seriously looking to address once we’ve found our feet.
CAR – What does McLaren have in store for its local launch?
IG – That will be very much up to our local partners, but as we are already generating interest from our target audience we’d rather focus on looking after our interested clientele than co-ordinating lots of events in a bid to make a name for ourselves. We wish to distance ourselves from the association with other exotic car manufacturers who make a habit of messing their customers around with regards to their positioning on the waiting list and be totally transparent with our customers. Our marketing activities will be aimed more at looking after our customers rather than spending a great deal of money on fanfare – we’ll keep it small and focused at a very high level.
