McLaren: China to help double sales in Asia

Four new retail outlets opening in China during 2013 will help McLaren Automotive to double its sales in Asia this year, the British automaker announced on Monday.

McLaren is currently in the process of opening its first four dealerships in China, which should give a significant boost to the supercar maker's overall Asian sales. McLaren says the region will account for about 25 percent of the company's sales this year, up from 10 percent in 2012.

"This year, we will finally see sales from China," Mirko Bordiga, Asia Pacific regional director for McLaren, told Automotive News. "We are waiting for the official documents to start the company."

Despite McLaren's predicted growth in China this year, the automaker is calling for flat global sales in 2013.

McLaren is scheduled to open an addition four stores in China by the end of 2014, but a proposed vehicle tax could hamper the automaker's growth in the short-term. China's government is currently debating new legislation aimed at curbing extravagant spending that would add a 20 percent tax to any vehicle over 1.7 million yuan ($278,000).

However, China is expected to overtake the United States as the single largest market for luxury vehicles by 2016, so McLaren's long-term prospects in the country remain positive.