Hypercar specialist McLaren is considering entry to Indian roads in 2018, reports Autocar India. The company has extensive expansion plans in global markets, and has earmarked a figure of selling 5,000 cars every year, by 2022. Among these, McLaren will reportedly look to sell 10 cars every year in India. While this figure may seem quite small, it is still a decent target considering how small India's supercar sales figures are, at the moment.
Last year, a total of about 70 supercars were sold in India, and the figure is expected to have grown this year. Lamborghini is the most popular in this segment so far, having sold more than 40 percent of these supercars in India. However, 2017 has been a more competitive year so far, with the likes of the Mercedes-AMG GT-R and Porsche 911 GT3 being launched in India. The performance car segments across all prices have also seen more launches, with the likes of Skoda Octavia RS, Mini JCW Pro Edition and even Mercedes-AMG GLC43 Coupe being introduced to the country. More high performance cars are slated to enter India, as part of a larger niche of cars priced above Rs. 2 crore. The premium car segment has also grown extensively, buoyed by the likes of the Bentley Bentayga, the new S Class Maybach Edition and BMW 7 Series.
McLaren may begin its India journey with its 'entry-level' 540c supercar. The likes of the McLaren 570s, 675LT and 720s will still be reserved for international markets, but may come to India at some point in future, if the company manages to make a dent in India. Autocar India's report also states that two McLaren 720s, registered abroad, were recently spotted on Indian soil, which is a positive indication towards India's interest in McLaren. The company is a noted player in the hypercar segment, which brings together cutting edge racing technology with aggressive designs. The McLaren P1, part of the holy trinity of hybrid hypercars (along side the Ferrari LaFerrari and Porsche 918), brought racing and hybrid technology together to produce 1,000 horses of power.
The Indian market will be an addition to McLaren's global growth plans, which aims to increase on the 79 outlets that it presently has, across the world.