Under its Track25 business plan, the automaker is projected to invest RM6.1b in R&D to deliver 18 new cars by end-2025
by RAHIMI YUNUS / Source: McLaren Kuala Lumpur Facebook
MCLAREN Kuala Lumpur (KL) is bullish on hitting its initial sales target for the year that was set before the Covid-19 outbreak despite additional challenges amid the pandemic.
CEO Roland Chan said the company has seen customer interest maintained at the same level prior to the pandemic, particularly after the economy reopened under the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO).
McLaren KL is the sole official importer and accredited retailer for McLaren Group Ltd’s vehicles and services in Malaysia.
“The Covid-19 situation has been a challenge for a lot of companies, especially during MCO. We could not have prospects coming to the showroom.
“As soon as the RMCO began, prospects started coming in on an appointment basis. We are not afraid to rise to the challenge. As we move forward, we manage to maintain a similar level of interest and our cars continue to sell towards this year’s target,” Chan said at the unveiling of the latest McLaren “Longtail” (LT), the 765LT, in Shah Alam last Friday.
He said McLaren can cater to its market place amid Covid-19 and customers have so far been responsive to its approach.
The new 765LT is a driver-focus supercar with higher performance than the previous model it derived from, the 720S.
It is 80kg lighter and has 25% more downward force than the 720S, attributable to lightweight materials, advanced carbon fibre technologies and aerodynamics.
Priced under RM1.5 million before taxes, the new LT is powered by a 4.0L twin-turbocharged McLaren V8 engine that delivers 765PS and 800Nm of torque.
As a result, the mid-engined LT does zero to 100kph in 2.8 seconds, a tenth faster than the 720S, and zero to 200kph in 7.2 seconds.
The range-topping of the company’s Super Series family has a top speed of 330kph, while its braking distance from 100kph to zero is 29.5m.
“It is a road car that was designed to go on a track. It is homologated for road use,” Chan said.
In the pursuit of lightweight, McLaren adopted various weight-saving measures in the 765LT, including new carbon fibre body panels, thinner glass, polycarbonate glazing, a titanium exhaust system and wheel bolts, and light dual-spring suspension.
If the car owner wants to go a step further, carpeting, air-conditioning and audio system can be taken out.
McLaren only makes 765 units of the latest LT and 10 are initially allocated for the Malaysian market. Chan said all the 10 units have been fully booked while there is a growing waiting list.
McLaren comprises three businesses namely automotive, racing and applied.
McLaren Automotive was launched in 2010 and the 10-year-old company is now the largest part of the group.
The brand is retailed by over 80 retailers in more than 32 markets globally.
Under its Track25 business plan, the Surrey, England-based automaker, is projected to invest £1.2 billion (RM6.1 billion) in research and development (R&D) to deliver 18 new cars or derivatives by the end of 2025.
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