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WITH only three outlets in Australia, McLaren has no plans to develop its network beyond Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast, but the British supercar-builder is laying the groundwork to expand its pre- and aftersales support.

Although dealerships in either Perth or Adelaide were mooted last year, McLaren Asia Pacific managing director George Biggs told GoAuto that plans to expand west have not been given the green light.

“We’re still just reviewing where to be to best service our customers,” he said. “We do have customers across that part of Australia and we are reviewing it.

Wing it: McLaren will fly out mechanics and technicians to service vehicles for customers who live in parts of Australia where it does not have a dealership presence.

Wing it: McLaren will fly out mechanics and technicians to service vehicles for customers who live in parts of Australia where it does not have a dealership presence.

“It’s just a case of understanding when is the right time to provide and set up that part of the business in that part of the country.

Instead, Mr Biggs said McLaren would focus on building upon the existing stores to provide the best customer experience possible.

“We are very much speeding up the business and making the business, as it currently is, the best quality as we can get, rather than spreading ourselves too thin and ending up not providing the best service.

 

“So our focus right now is making sure we can embed Gold Coast and Melbourne the right way and Sydney’s obviously been up and running for a while, and then we can start to consider what we need to do in those states.”

While dealerships currently only exist on the east coast of Australia, McLaren regional sales manager Anoop Arjun explained that the current aftersales model supports customer’s needs despite owners not having access to a McLaren dealership for servicing or issues.

“So when a car gets sold into a market without a dealership, there is a service agreement that comes with it,” he said.2016_09_06_mclaren_melbourne_dealership04

 

“So if McLaren Melbourne sold that car into Adelaide, they will communicate and if there is an issue, and seldom there is an issue, the expectation is that the dealer will fly over pretty quick.

“If there is a service scheduled, they do communicate, maybe twice a year or three times a year at most, and they service a couple of cars at a time or they run service clinics.”

McLaren co-opts existing workshops to facilitate its servicing and Mr Arjun said the workmanship is just as high as performing the maintenance at a McLaren dealership.

“It’s down to the dealer’s prerogative, there are standards that they have to make sure they adhere to,” he said when asked where McLaren’s are serviced.

“Our interstate buyers shouldn’t hesitate purchasing a McLaren. Yes, we don’t have physical stores for customers to visit, but each car comes with a commitment to service and are supported with regular service visits and if necessary, a flying doctor service.”

McLaren Australia is also planning to increase customer satisfaction levels, specifically in the areas of warranty and insurance, to match services offered by other high-end supercar-makers.2016_09_06_mclaren_melbourne_dealership09

Both McLaren and Italian rival Ferrari offer a three-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, but the Prancing Horse also gives new customers seven year’s free scheduled servicing and the option of extending its warranty out to 10 years.

Mr Arjun said there are plans for better aftermarket support and that these plans will be revealed before the end of the year.

“Extended warranty is a project that we are currently working on and we anticipate that it will be completed and available to our Australian customers in the not too distant future,” he said.

Mr Arjun also revealed that McLaren is working on expanding its finance and insurance business to better care for customers before they drive away.

“Our service and warranty, it’s a bulletproof proposition, so it’s actually extremely attainable to own and operate a McLaren,” he said.

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“The big question comes down to insurance, and that’s a space we’re not currently in. But we are investigating how we can mature in this finance and insurance perspective.

“Again, that is something we are currently working on and that is something we that we hope to bring to market in the future. Let’s just not forget that McLaren is only just five years old in Australia.

Mr Arjun called the upcoming plans “something that should make buying a McLaren that much easier” and reiterated that Australia is an important and growing market for the British supercar marque.

“From our perspective, Australia is a hugely important market,” he said. “On a global perspective, it is growing. We rank them by countries, and while I can’t tell you exactly where you are, Australia is moving up that ladder.”

By Tung Nguyen

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