McLaren to recruit 250 workers

The company will introduce a second production line shift at it Woking-based factory

Sports car manufacturer McLaren Automotive has announced it will create 250 new jobs following a record year.

The car manufacturer is to add a second shift to its production line at its factory in Woking, Surrey, to cope with what the company describes as "unprecedented levels of demand". In total, the carmaker delivered 1,653 of its cars to 30 different countries in 2015, its highest ever annual sales figure, it said. 

The company currently employs around 1,500 people with 500 working in production - where the majority of the new jobs will be created. The second shift is scheduled to start in February and will increase McLaren’s production rates from 14 to 20 cars per day.

The record year by McLaren was supported by the launch of five new models – the 540C Coupe, 570S Coupe, 675LT Coupe, Spider and P1 GTR, as well as the introduction of a new three tier product family – Sports Series, Super Series and Ultimate Series.

Mike Flewitt, chief executive of McLaren, said: “2015 was a year of rapid expansion for McLaren Automotive. When the company was set up in 2010, we set ourselves an ambition to launch one new car every year. In 2015, we launched five.

“This goes to show that the team at the McLaren Technology Centre and around the world, together with our retail partners, are creating and building the world’s most desirable sports and supercars.”

Business secretary Sajid Javid said the announcement showed that Britain's automotive industry is thriving. He said: "McLaren road cars are some of the most iconic in the world and that is down to the excellence of British design, engineering and manufacturing. Today’s news that it is creating 250 new jobs is a sign that the UK auto industry continues to thrive."

“I was particularly impressed to hear that over half of all the components and parts that go into their cars are manufactured in the UK, and this is creating countless more jobs in the supply chain,” he added.