Media Information EMBARGOED: 12:50.GMT, 29 November 2012

THE MCLAREN 12C NAMED MIDDLE EAST CAR OF THE YEAR

The McLaren 12C wins prestigious Middle East Motor Awards ‘Car of the Year’ title ahead of 17 other category winners The 12C named ‘Best Supercar’ at the end of a successful first full year of sales for McLaren

(Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 29th November) – McLaren Automotive has received two awards, including overall ‘Car of the Year’, for its debut model, the 12C, at the 2012 Middle East Motor Awards. The 12C was rated ahead of almost 50 car models, including some of the world’s top supercar models, by a jury panel comprising of the region’s top automotive experts across 17 categories.

The Middle East Motor Awards are the region’s most prestigious automotive accolades, judged by a jury panel that includes 17 of the region’s most influential motoring journalists from nine countries. This is the first year a McLaren model has taken part in the awards, and the 12C was named ‘Best Supercar’, before being crowned with the overall title of ‘Car of the Year’. These honours cap a successful first year of sales across the world for the brand.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, organiser Saif Al Midfa, Director General of Expo Centre Sharjah: “The 12C is a clear winner for ‘Car of the Year’. McLaren’s debut model is a stunning car and worthy of making the ultimate wish list for any automotive fan.”

Mark Harrison, Regional Director for Middle East and Africa said: “To win ‘Best Supercar’ in the Middle East is an amazing achievement coming in our very first full year as a luxury manufacturer. But to win the overall ‘Car of the Year’ title is unbelievable.”

“It is a great reward for all the skilled and passionate designers and engineers back at McLaren and our retail partners in the region who have worked incredibly hard to launch the brand. But the real winners, I believe, are our first customers. They are driving the Middle East’s ‘Car of the Year’.”

McLaren Automotive strives to be at the forefront of innovation; this is what has enabled McLaren to win one in every four of the Formula 1 races in which they have entered since first competing in the sport nearly 50 years ago. The 12C also benefits from this race-winning technology with features such as the pioneering Brake Steer and carbon fibre MonoCell which allow the 12C to offer dynamic driving capabilities unlike any other car in its segment.

The 12C was launched in the Middle East in November 2011, and has since achieved sales of over 1,000 cars worldwide, and more than 100 in the Middle East. McLaren Automotive’s Middle East retail network of specialist, luxury automotive retailers is located in prestigious venues across Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and there is also a service centre in Lebanon.

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Image captions

Image 1: The Middle East’s “Car of the Year”, the McLaren 12C

Image 2: Mark Harrison, Regional Director for McLaren Automotive receives the 2012 Middle East Motor Awards overall “Car of the Year” and “Best Supercar”

Image 3: H.E Sheikh Marwan Bin Rashid Al Mualla, Chairman of Emirates Motorsports Federation and Saif Mohamed Al Midfa, Director General for Expo Centre Sharjah handing over the “Car of the Year” award to Mark Harrison, McLaren Automotive Regional Director for Middle East and Africa

Notes to Editors: About McLaren Automotive:

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

Following the company’s global launch in 2010, McLaren Automotive launched the groundbreaking 12C and 12C Spider and, in keeping with its plan to introduce a new model each year, recently unveiled the McLaren P1™ at the Paris Motor Show. The brand continues to expand, operating through a dedicated global network of retailers in every major automotive market.

Designed for the track; Developed for the road

The connection between Formula 1 and road cars at McLaren is a natural process of experience, knowledge, principles and process transfer. Through the integration of 50 years of Formula 1 racing expertise and knowledge, and 20 years of heritage in producing landmark sports cars, McLaren Automotive designs, develops and builds the technologically advanced, groundbreaking and no compromise 12C and 12C Spider.

McLaren has pioneered the use of carbon fibre in vehicle production over the past 30 years, and since introducing a carbon into racing and road cars with the 1981 McLaren MP4/1 and 1993 McLaren F1 respectively, McLaren has not built a car without a carbon fibre chassis.

Visit www.mclarenautomotive.com for more details.

Further information:

Tom Pryor Marketing and Public Relations Manager | McLaren Automotive Middle East and Africa Phone: +973 1 750 2775 Mobile: +44 (0) 7899 816 872 Email: tom.pryor@.com

Lena Sie Global PR Manager| McLaren Automotive Limited Phone: +44 (0) 1483 262038 Mobile: +44 (0) 7826 91005 Email: [email protected]

Media website: www.media.mclarenautomotive.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mclarenautomotive

Twitter: www.twitter.com/McLarenAuto

You Tube: www.youtube.com/mclarenautomotivetv

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