McLaren has taken a major step closer to capturing a slice of the high-performance sports car market with the official launch of its MP4-12C supercar

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The car is based on technology used by McLaren's Formula 1 team and will go into production in 2011 at a base price of £150 000 (R1.7-million).

The company plans to build 1000 of them that year, rising to 4000 a year by the middle of the decade and it is the first of a series of top-end sports cars McLaren plans to build.

McLaren Automotive chairman Ron Dennis said: "We have long held the dream of building a range of McLaren high-performance sports cars that take the raw elements of F1 principles.

"The MP4-12C is inspired by F1, built on that pride and passion to the highest quality and rich in McLaren DNA." he added.

The 12C will be built at a specially designed plant south of London, which will create 300 new jobs

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Dennis said the plans "confirm our intention to challenge convention at the highest levels of automotive design, from a hi-tech home that I am proud to say will deliver jobs, expertise and innovation in manufacturing and engineering".

McLaren will sell the car through retailers in 19 countries, with North America expected to account for as much as 40 percent of the market

By AFP