Media information 14:00, 9 February 2017

THE NEW McLAREN AUTOMOTIVE COMPOSITES TECHNOLOGY CENTRE

 McLaren Automotive to in-source future production of the carbon fiber Monocell and Monocage chassis  More than 200 new jobs to be created  McLaren Automotive’s first bespoke facility outside of the McLaren Technology Centre campus, based close to the Advanced Research Centre at the University of Sheffield

McLaren Automotive has announced the first details of its new Composites Technology Centre. Based close to the campus of the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) at the University of Sheffield, and built with support from Sheffield City Council, the new Centre will be responsible for the development and manufacturing of the Monocell and Monocage carbon fiber chassis in future McLaren cars. This next generation Monocell will be built using advanced automated manufacturing techniques developed in conjunction with the AMRC. The new facility is due to start construction in early 2017 with the first preproduction carbon fiber chassis expected to be delivered to the McLaren Technology Centre in the second half of 2017 using trial manufacturing processes. Full production at the AMRC will commence by 2020.

The creation of the new McLaren Composites Technology Centre represents the company’s first purpose-built facility outside of the current McLaren campus. Formed through a partnership between McLaren Automotive, the University of Sheffield’s AMRC and Sheffield City Council, the new Composites Technology Centre will create more than 200 jobs through a combined investment of over $63 Million (£50 million). The target is that the new Centre will deliver cost savings of around $12.6 million (£10million) when compared to costs of today and $126 Million (£100 million) of gross value added benefit to the local economy by 2028. Opportunities for expansion thereafter create an ambition of doubling that to $252M (£200 million). The insourcing of the manufacture of the carbon fiber chassis also increases the average percentage (by value) of UK components per car by around eight per cent, from a current average of around 50 percent, depending on the model.

THE AMRC AND McLAREN COMPOSITES TECHNOLOGY CENTRE IN DETAIL The AMRC was established in 2001 as a $19 Million (£15 million) collaboration between the University of Sheffield and aerospace giant Boeing with the purpose of using Sheffield’s traditional expertise in materials and machining, and applying those skills for future technological development. In 2004, the AMRC moved into the purpose-built Advanced Manufacturing Park in Sheffield and, in 2008, opened the Rolls-Royce plc Factory of the Future. In 2012, the Factory of the Future expanded to include an enlarged Composite Centre.

In 2015, the AMRCs Factory 2050 was opened as the UK’s first fully reconfigurable assembly and component manufacturing facility for collaborative research, capable of rapidly switching between different high value components and one-off parts. The 75,000+ square foot building is home to the ARMCs Integrated Manufacturing Group with open-plan desk space integrated with high-tech assembly and manufacturing – much like the existing McLaren Production Centre in , Surrey. The new McLaren Composites Technology Centre will be located near the AMRC campus.

The McLaren Composites Technology Centre will be housed in a 75,000-square foot building set over four acres and will be responsible for the research and development of future Monocell and Monocage carbon fibre chassis as well as the manufacturing of the chassis itself. The 200 new employees will comprise approximately 150 production staff and 50 manufacturing support staff.

McLAREN – PIONEERING IN CARBON FIBER AND COMPOSITES TECHNOLOGY For more than 30 years, McLaren has pioneered the use of carbon fiber in vehicle production. The McLaren MP4/1 was the first car on the Formula OneTM grid to feature a carbon fiber chassis. Compared to the aluminium structures of the time, carbon fiber was lighter but stronger and therefore faster but safer. By the following season, most competitors had adopted this new material in the construction of their cars, and it continues as the prevalent construction material today. And on the road, the now-iconic McLaren F1 from 1993 was the first road car ever to be built with a carbon fiber chassis. This car still holds the world record for the fastest naturally-aspired road car.

Since 1981, McLaren has not built a car without a carbon fiber chassis.

At the launch event at the AMRC in Sheffield, Mike Flewitt, Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Automotive commented: ‘In 1981, McLaren was the first company to recognise the exceptional properties of carbon fibre, and we have designed the highly-technical material it to be at the heart of every McLaren road and racing car ever since. The now- iconic McLaren F1 was the world’s first road car to be built with a carbon fibre chassis and every car built more recently by McLaren Automotive has the same. Creating a facility where we can manufacture our own carbon fibre chassis structures is therefore a logical next step.

He continued: ‘We evaluated several options to achieve this objective but the opportunity created by the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre at the University of Sheffield was compelling. At the AMRC, we will have access to some of the world’s finest composites and materials research capabilities, and I look forward to building a world-class facility and talented team at the new McLaren Composites Technology Centre.’

Ends Notes to Editors: A selection of high resolution images accompanying this release is available to download from the McLaren Automotive media site – cars..press.

About McLaren Automotive: McLaren Automotive is a British manufacturer of luxury, high-performance sports and super cars, located at the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) in Woking, Surrey.

Following the global launch of McLaren Automotive in 2010, the groundbreaking 12C was revealed in 2011, the 12C Spider in 2012, and the limited-run McLaren P1™ went into production in 2013. In keeping with its plan to introduce a new model each year, the company unveiled the 650S, in Coupé and Spider form in 2014, while 2015 proved to be a year of unprecedented growth of the product portfolio with five new models launched across the full range. The strictly limited edition 675LT Coupé premiered at the Geneva Motor Show alongside the track-only McLaren P1™ GTR which, with 1,000PS, became the most powerful model ever produced by the brand. The much-anticipated Sports Series became the third – and final – model tier in the McLaren range with the 570S Coupé and 540C Coupé debuting in New York and Shanghai respectively, less than one month apart. The end of 2015 saw the launch of the fifth model, the 675LT Spider, which was as a direct response to customer demand. The year also saw the end of production for the first model in the Ultimate Series as the 375th McLaren P1™ was completed, closing what had become a defining year for the British brand. 2016 continued where 2015 had left off with the introduction of the 570GT - a second bodystyle for the Sports Series and the most luxurious car McLaren has ever built, as well as the 570S GT4 and 570S Sprint track variants. 2016 also marked the introduction of the company’s new business plan, Track22, which sees the company investing £1B in Research and Development to deliver 15 all new cars or derivatives by the end of 2022, of which at least 50% will feature hybrid technology. The uplift in sales in 2016 also saw the launch of the second shift at the McLaren Production Centre as well as the company’s third year of profitability in just six years of trading.

McLaren Automotive Partners To support the development, engineering and manufacture of its range of innovative and highly acclaimed sports cars, McLaren Automotive has partnered with world leading companies to provide specialist expertise and technology including, AkzoNobel, Pirelli and SAP.

Visit cars.mclaren.com for more details.

Further information:

John Paolo Canton Head of Public Relations | McLaren North America Phone: +1 646 926 5971

Email: [email protected]

Duncan Forrester Global Corporate Communications & PR Manager | McLaren Automotive Limited Phone:+44 (0) 1483 261500 Mobile: +44 (0) 7468 769419 Email: [email protected] Twitter: www.twitter.com/DuncanForrester

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