Greg Levine, South African-born and former head of Sales and Marketing at Audi South Africa, and then Head of Operations at Audi UK, has been appointed as McLaren Automotive’s Sales and Marketing Director.
Antony Sheriff, Managing Director at McLaren Automotive, said of the appointment: “I first met Greg during our time working together in Italy and knew then that he had a bright future in the car industry. He has rapidly moved up through the ranks in the business and enjoyed great success in South Africa and the UK. His knowledge of the retail business and brand-building is excellent, and the fact that he has chosen to step into this crucial role at McLaren Automotive is testimony both to his drive and ambition, and McLaren’s ability to persuade strong industry players to join our team.
“2011 is our launch year and, we believe, a milestone in sports car manufacturing as McLaren builds its own range of sports cars around our trademark carbon MonoCell chassis. We are really excited that we have Greg on board to help achieve our goal of delivering the best customer experience in the industry,” Sheriff concluded.
Levine commented: “McLaren’s plans for a brand new car company are unique: they cover all aspects from design and development, to setting up a global retail network, and launching new technologies and processes that benefit the customer.
“I have watched this project grow with great interest and feel privileged to join such an exciting and dynamic brand at such an important phase in its development,” he concluded.
Meanwhile production of the firm’s eagerly-anticipated MP4-12C has started. South African sales will be handled by the Daytona Group (also distributors of Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin in SA). CAR magazine’s Ian McLaren is currently making his way to a pre-launch ride and drive event in Portugal. Watch out for a full review in the March issue.
