McLaren Automotive CEO said the company will stick to building sports cars and will not produce sport-utility vehicles like some of its rivals.
“We genuinely believe we make the best sports cars in the world. We need to remain very focused. McLaren is a sports car brand and that’s exactly what we’re going to remain,” McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has expressed a similar point of view a while ago, saying that the company will not build an SUV or a four-door sedan as these body styles are incompatible with the brand.
Earlier this year, Lamborghini confirmed that it will build the Urus SUV from 2017. Other luxury brands including Bentley, Maserati and Porsche are also adding SUVs to their lineups to lure customers from China and the U.S. where this body style is particularly attractive.
Not McLaren though, with the company focusing on sports cars and planning to introduce a new model every year to boost growth. Flewitt said the most affordable McLaren, the upcoming P13, will be priced from $177,000 (€128,000), two-thirds the price of the company’s latest model, the 650S (pictured).
By 2017, McLaren plans to sell about 4,000 vehicles annually, compared to about 1,400 last year. For 2014, the sports car manufacturer targets 1,600 sales.
By Dan Mihalascu
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