McLaren's luxury 'core sports car' to hit road by 2011

London, Mar 19 (ANI): To bring Formula One driving know-how on road, McLaren has unveiled its new two-seater super car, which is anticipated to sell for around 150,000 pounds.

McLaren expects to produce up to 1,000 of the 12C cars next year. It is not the first time McLaren has built a road car, but it is the first time the company has created a vehicle for the luxury "core sports car" market.

The British F1 competitor will take on rival European manufacturers such as Ferrari and Porsche with the "affordable" two-seater car.

McLaren Automotive says using a lightweight one-piece carbon-fibre chassis allows it to put the MP4-12C on sale for around half the price tag that would normally be expected.

The company expects to make up to 1,000 of the cars in 2011, with annual output reaching around 4,000 vehicles by the middle of the decade, SKY News reports.

A new 40 million pounds production facility at is being built at Woking, Surrey, to produce the 12C cars, which is expected to create up to 300 new jobs.

The car was road-tested earlier this month by F1 world champion Jenson Button and his McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton.
 
McLaren hopes the MP4-12C represents the start of a new chapter in its history

Chairman Ron Dennis said: "We have long held the dream of building a range of McLaren high-performance sports cars that take the raw elements of Formula 1 principles, processes and performance and forge them into a unique package - one that offers customer-focused requirements of quality, efficiency, comfort and reliability."

The company made its first road car, the McLaren F1, 15 years ago, but only 107 were built. (ANI)