Ron Dennis Q&A

By Dan Strong

17th March 2010

As part of Auto Express's exclusive coverage of the launch of the new McLaren MP4-12C supercar, and the company that will build it, McLaren Automotive, we speak to CEO Ron Dennis about what will make his new project a success.

AE: What key characteristics define a McLaren road car?

RD: 
If you take the F1 as the start of the story of our road cars, and the 12C as the latest chapter, then there are common themes: engineering integrity, an obsession with reducing weight, Formula 1 integration in the development of the cars, and design driven by function, in particular aerodynamics. They are very different cars in concept, but are both steeped in McLaren DNA.



AE: Why should people buy a McLaren – what does your car have that Ferrari’s 458 doesn’t?


RD:The fundamental concept behind what we are doing at McLaren is that we are not just launching a new car to rival the world’s best sports cars, but a whole new car company from a blank sheet of paper. You would expect McLaren to say that the 12C and future models will compete toe-to-toe with our competitors’ products, but where we believe we will differ and present a further competitive advantage is in how we will treat our customers. Our aim is to launch cars that out-perform the competition in all aspects – speed, emissions, dynamics – but we also want to offer a new standard of customer relationships.



AE: We had heard that financing the build of your production facility had proved challenging. Is the funding in place for your new factory?


RD: It would be churlish to say that finding £40 million has been easy, but despite the economic conditions under which we have developed the project, the interest in supporting McLaren Automotive, whether from potential retailers or investors, has been very positive. The new McLaren Production Centre was always planned to begin construction as soon as planning permission was granted and that is exactly what has happened.
 


AE: What have been the key differences in designing and launching the McLaren road car, versus the McLaren Formula One car?


RD: It is more enlightening to talk about the similarities. Automotive and Racing are under one roof, so there is total integration between the teams. For example, Formula 1 aerodynamicists discuss problems and solutions with the 12C development team regularly. And the 12C has been developed on the same simulator used by the racing team. Despite the fact that a road car takes years to develop and a Formula 1 car, though based on evolution, just a few months, the fundamentals remain the same: rapid problem solving, absolute individual responsibility for every engineer and clear focus on the goals.
 


AE: What key skills do you posses that will make you a great car company boss?


RD: Within McLaren it is a matter of hiring excellent people and allowing them to take decisions. But not being afraid to also roll up your sleeves and understand the finer details of a possibility or a problem. Looking outside, it is no different to any business – understanding exactly what the market and customer desires and delivering that without compromise.


AE: Formula One, now road cars, what’s next from the McLaren Group? Do you have aspirations outside of the automotive industry?


RD: Our aim has always been to make McLaren Group an innovative, profitable, and multi-faceted company with engineering and technology principles at heart. If we grow the Group it will retain that ethos.
 


AE: Finally, on the eve of the launch of the new MP4-12C, what do you think is a greater challenge, taking a Formula One team to World Championship glory, or launching a new car company?


RD: Neither one nor the other. The challenge has been building up a great company full of empowered, enthusiastic and dedicated people. Then keeping that company at the top for those people. That started with winning Formula 1 World Championships, and launching McLaren Automotive as a fully-fledged car company is part of that story and a major contribution to our success.

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