McLaren sold more than 1,650 supercars last year

McLaren 540C

The British supercar-maker increased sales of its "bullets" for a fifth straight year and plans to hire more workers to meet the demand.

McLaren Automotive ended 2015 with a total of 1,654 cars delivered, marking another record year, as it has done every year since the company began production in 2010. The high demand for its super-range, especially for the recently-launched Sports Series, has driven the need for a second shift at McLaren’s Woking, England, plant and extra 250 workers are to be hired, most of them in the production department. The second shift is scheduled to start in February 2016 and the new employees will add approximately 40 percent to the existing headcount, helping boosting output from the previous 14 cars per day up to 20 cars per day by mid-2016.

"The launch of the new Sports Series is a step-change," McLaren Chief Executive Officer Mike Flewitt said. "It opens the company up to new markets, new customers and consequently, new sales volumes." The UK company plans to increase production to 4,000 cars annually as early as 2017.

The new Sports Series range was revealed in April last year, at the New York Autoshow, with the 570S Coupe being the first car launched. This was followed by the 540C Coupe at the Shanghai Autoshow later the same month. By the time the Sports Series is complete in 2017, the range will include two further body styles and is expected to account for two thirds of total annual sales volumes. Despite only having started production in November, McLaren says its dealers are already holding over six months’ worth of orders for Sports Series cars.

Alongside the sales success, McLaren Automotive has also announced its global retailer network grew in 2015 to 80 dealers covering 30 markets. Twelve new retailers opened last year, in cities such as Seoul, Mexico City and Houston. "Further development is planned in 2016, with a focus on controlled and sustainable growth within existing markets rather than significantly increasing the total number of markets covered," the automaker said in a statement.