British supercar brand McLaren Automotive drives into the Indian market

10 models of British automaker's made-to-order India models sold in pre-launch phase

British luxury carmaker McLaren Automotive launched its operations in India on Thursday with its first outlet in Mumbai. McLaren joins other supercar brands (priced Rs 4 crore and upwards), including Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, and Porsche. The brands are looking to tap into a handful of uber-rich individuals in a country that has seen their numbers grow at a steady pace year-on-year, even when the broader economy has slowed down.

Paul Harris, managing director, Asia Pacific and China, McLaren Automotive, said the brand with a rich Formula One pedigree is encouraged by the increasing number of high networth individuals (HNI in the country who are fuelling the demand for sports cars, albeit off a small base.  

“It’s a land of opportunities. The premiumisation trend in the country seen across the segments — be it housing or cars — also prompted us to enter this market,” Harris told Business Standard.

According to IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2022, there are 1,103 Indians with a networth of Rs 1,000 crore each — an increase of 62 per cent over five years.

There are 221 billionaires (Rs 100 crore networth) in India on the 2022 list — down 16, compared with last year, while 13 people born in the 1990s made it to the list, all self-made.

Harris said he was thrilled to officially start operations in India. McLaren will offer the full breadth of its model range to customers and auto enthusiasts in the country.  The carmaker unveiled its new 765LT Spider in Mumbai and will offer models including the Everyday McLaren GT and the hybrid Artura. The range also includes the 720S in the Coupé and Spider variants, as well as the 765LT Coupe and Spider.

The starting range of cars showcased is Rs 4 crore (ex-showroom). Depending upon the level of customisation the buyer opts for, the mark-up could be 25 per cent or more of the base price.

McLaren Mumbai, which is the first official McLaren showroom in India, will be represented by Infinity Cars.

Lalit Choudary, chairman and managing director of Infinity Cars, said all the brands in the super luxury segment have a long waitlist to own the product. Infinity has already sold 10 models of the McLaren’s made-to-order models in India in its pre-launch phase.

“People have begun to think that India will have some good years of economic growth. All the brands have had record numbers. The whole segment will be up 60-70 per cent year-on-year,” said Choudary.

Infinity is the retailer of several other high supercars, including Porsche, Lamborghini, among others.  For cars in this segment, it’s all about getting the number of allocations and the exclusivity.  

The company’s showroom in Prabhadevi in Mumbai will have a facility of a dedicated service centre operated by a team of McLaren-trained engineers.

The cars are designed at the McLaren technology centre with each car hand-built at the adjoining McLaren production centre, in Woking, Surrey in South London.

The 765LT unveiled on Thursday delivers maximum engagement, untamed performance, and a scalpel-sharp handling, the company claimed.

With 765PS and 800 Nm of torque, it takes just 11 seconds to open and stow the ultra-lightweight single piece electric retractable hard top, leaving nothing between the elements and the driver.