McLaren manufactures first sports car at Woking facility

McLaren Automotive also announced that the new McLaren Production Centre (MPC), a 32,000m² manufacturing facility where all production sports cars will eventually be manufactured, is on schedule for completion in May 2011 at a cost of £40m.

According to McLaren, the MPC will support up to 800 jobs and will manufacture around 4,000 cars a year by the middle of the decade. Up to 300 jobs will be generated directly as a result, with more indirectly through the construction programme, supply chain and global retail network.

Funding for the £40m investment has come from McLaren Automotive’s existing shareholders, which will support development programmes for a range of McLaren high-performance sports cars that will be launched after the MP4-12C.

Ron Dennis, executive chairman of McLaren Automotive, said: ‘At a time when the UK is rebalancing the economy away from the past two decades’ over-concentration on financial services, we stand alongside other high-tech manufacturing and engineering companies, committed to securing Britain’s global leadership and establishing a sustainable economic future.’