McLaren £500m Investment Boosts UK Manufacturing and Jobs
McLaren Automotive has announced a £500m investment programme to expand its UK manufacturing, engineering and operations. The £500m investment will help the company speed up development of its next-generation models.
The funding forms part of a wider commitment from shareholder L’IMAD, a sovereign investor of the Government of Abu Dhabi. It also reinforces McLaren's commitment to Britain. Bruce McLaren founded the company here in 1963, and the firm built its first supercar, the legendary McLaren F1, on British soil.
The investment lets McLaren Automotive expand its production capability and increase output so Britain can build the next generation of McLaren cars. These include a newly confirmed performance SUV. A new vehicle assembly facility, which the company plans to open in the UK, will make this possible.
For the first time in its history, McLaren Automotive will design and build its future powertrains in-house. Two new engines and transmissions come first. They will support the company's hybrid engine strategy, which builds on the pioneering hybrid technology McLaren first used in the McLaren P1™.
McLaren Automotive will also expand operations at the McLaren Production Centre in Woking and at the McLaren Composites Technology Centre, its carbon-fibre manufacturing and research facility in South Yorkshire.
The company recently opened two new UK sites: a design and innovation centre at the McLaren Creation Centre in Bicester, and a testing and vehicle development facility in the Midlands. Together with the Woking headquarters and the South Yorkshire carbon-fibre facility, these sites form an integrated UK operation that runs from design through to advanced manufacturing.
McLaren Automotive is building a complete portfolio around the supercar. The company segments this range intentionally and carefully, aiming to maximise brand value, desirability and client loyalty. It is entering new categories, including a planned performance SUV. The investment will provide the manufacturing capacity, technology and skills McLaren needs to bring this future portfolio to market.
The programme will create at least 1,000 new direct and indirect jobs across McLaren's UK operations by 2032 and safeguard existing roles. McLaren Automotive expects to double its UK manufacturing workforce, and new apprenticeships will develop the next generation of talent.
These plans will also support the growth of the wider UK industry. McLaren expects its supply chain to create up to 3,000 additional jobs, bolstering the British automotive sector and boosting exports.
The investment will strengthen McLaren Automotive's expertise in lightweighting, carbon fibre and advanced manufacturing. It will also secure critical intellectual property and production capabilities in the UK.
Jassem Al Zaabi, Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of L’IMAD, said: “Over the past 20 months, L’IMAD has worked closely with McLaren Automotive’s management team, supporting the business in sharpening its strategic direction and positioning itself for long-term growth. This investment reflects our confidence in its potential and our commitment to backing the business through its next chapter, building on the heritage, engineering excellence, and distinctive brand that has defined McLaren for more than six decades."
Nick Collins, Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Group Holdings and McLaren Automotive, said: “This investment gives us the platform to grow, develop and build on what makes us distinctive, while investing in the people, technologies and products that will keep us competitive for decades to come."
Andy Burnham, UK Prime Minister, said: “McLaren Automotive is doubling down on Britain, keeping the design, the engineering and the building of every future car here, and taking on a thousand more people to do it. Their investment will create high-quality apprenticeships and jobs, and drive growth far beyond their factory gates. It is how you get skilled work, decent wages and pride back into a place. It’s this kind of partnership between government and business that will help us reindustrialise communities and make every part of Britain better off. I want young people to see that and know there is a future for them in making things, wherever they grew up."