Dubai opens supercar maker McLaren’s most high-tech showroom ever

The British manufacturer of luxury supercars has, along with Al Habtoor Motors, opened a new showroom that the UK firm says its its most technically advanced anywhere in the world.

McLaren's P1 brings the full design and engineering might of the Woking-based company's F1 expertise to a road car. Courtesy McLaren

Dubai has become home to a new high-tech showroom for the British supercar maker McLaren as the company aims to build on a stellar 2016.

McLaren Automotive and its sole retailer partner in the UAE, Al Habtoor Motors, have opened the new McLaren showroom in Dubai on Sheikh Zayed Road. The facility is the most technically advanced McLaren sales site globally, the car maker said.

The opening comes nearly five years to the day since the first showroom in the Middle East, also in Dubai, was opened and the first delivery to a customer was made of a McLaren 12C in the region, the supercar which marked the start of the modern McLaren Automotive era, both of which took place in Dubai.

McLaren also confirmed that 2016 was a fifth consecutive year of record sales both globally and in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, with the region delivering over 200 cars to customers in a single year for the first time.

Al Habtoor Motors’ performance was of particular note with its sales growth overall benefiting from the introduction of the McLaren Sports Series while 2016 deliveries of the Super Series range improved 28 per cent over the previous year.

Some Dh4.4 million was invested to build the new 647 square metre showroom, which has a number of new features, the firm said.

“We are delighted to be opening this brand-new facility with McLaren Automotive,” said Ahmed Al Habtoor, the chief exective of Al Habtoor Motors. “Since we started our operations back in 1983, we have always embraced innovation and excellence, the new McLaren Dubai showroom we have unveiled is testament to this and we look forward to welcoming our loyal McLaren customers, as well as many new customers, to what we truly believe to be a new benchmark in the automotive sales experience here in the UAE.”

One of showroom’s new features is a high-tech configuration suite that will allow customers to plan every aspect of their purchase virtually – from exterior paint options to interior trim – on a large, 4K-resolution screen.

“This is a very impressive new facility and one which will be a benchmark for any new McLaren showroom built around the world,” said Andreas Bareis, the managing director Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

“ It will allow us to exceed ever-increasing expectations from sports and supercar owners in the Middle East during what we expect to be a new and successful, next generation for our business,” he said.

“It is also a testament to Al Habtoor Motors business that they have been able to establish the McLaren brand so successfully in a relatively short period of time and generate such significant loyalty from their customers to our brand.”

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