r/mclaren

McLaren is exploring establishing “experience centers” in top luxury hubs such as New York, Miami and Los Angeles.

The corporate-owned locations will be less about selling McLarens than promoting brand culture and racing heritage. The stores will host customer events and potentially offer certain personalization services, according to a person briefed on the plan. 

The initiative aligns with CEO Nick Collins’ longer-term goal of elevating McLaren’s mind share, not merely its market share. 

“I want to be the brand that people are talking about — the products that people are falling in love with,” Collins told Automotive News. “I’m not sitting there going, ‘In the U.S. in 24 months, we want to sell X vehicles.’ I want the enthusiasm, the engagement, the awareness growing over that period of time.”

It's part of a broader expansion plan a market that now accounts for more than half of global sales.

Collins sees room for five to 10 additional dealerships in the U.S. over the next two years, which would beef up the brand’s current network of 27 U.S. stores by up to 40 percent. Fast-growing Sun Belt states such as Florida, Texas, Tennessee and Nevada are expected to capture most of the new points.

Personalization through McLaren Special Operations represents another high-margin growth opportunity.

To capture more of this business, McLaren aims to make its bespoke offerings more accessible to U.S. customers instead of requiring trips to Woking, England, or relying on traveling specialists. “We want to move closer with [McLaren Special Operations] to the customer by having representation in the market,” McLaren Chief Commercial Officer Henrik Wilhelmsmeyer said.

The retail push coincides with a product offensive that will take McLaren well beyond its traditional rear-engine, two-seat niche. At a dealer meeting late last year, the company outlined a cadence of at least one new model annually through 2028. It begins with the W1 hypercar, followed by an 800-hp V-6 hybrid coupe and a 2+2 grand tourer. In 2028, McLaren plans to introduce a V-8 hybrid five-seater.

“This brand can be so many more things than it’s been historically,. We can do everything we’ve done, but even more of it, and even better, and we can do some other things," Collins said, declining to discuss specific future products.

McLaren teased a new class of ultra-exclusive, heritage-bound supercars with a racy concept at Monterey Car Week. The lightweight McL 6GT delivers the brand’s first proper manual gearbox since the 1992 F1 and previews a production car expected in the second half of 2028.

The concept was revealed Aug. 13 at a posh venue overlooking Pebble Beach Golf Links and the Pacific Ocean.

McLaren Chief Commercial Officer Henrik Wilhelmsmeyer said the production car will look similar to the concept.“Some details will need to be adapted,” the executive told Automotive News.

Production of that future model, internally codenamed P50, is expected to be limited to about 500 units and start at about $1.5 million, people familiar with the plans told Automotive News.

McLaren last year revealed to retailers plans for a line of “Maverick” vehicles — limited-run specials honoring the company’s racing heritage. The new model line, still unnamed, will sit above the brand’s core Artura and Supercar series.

The new line will reinforce the brand’s sports car roots. Focus will be on the driving experience rather than top speed and performance specs, said one of the people.

McLaren is targeting a “subset of supercar owners”, Wilhelmsmeyer said. For customers, seeking a collectible car of this kind, authenticity and purity are critical, he said.

Personalization through McLaren Special Operations (MSO) will play a key role, and the limited volume makes the car “attractive to an audience who want to be part of an exclusive community,” Wilhelmsmeyer said.