Hierzu habe ich noch folgenden Artikel mit interessanten Aussagen von Hubbert und Dennis gefunden:
From Today’s Autoweek Magazine and Automobilwoche (June 2004):
DAIMLERCHRYSLER, MCLAREN LOOKING AT CREATING 'NEW BRAND'
A joint venture of DaimlerChrysler and McLaren Cars may develop another vehicle in addition to the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren sports car.
"We are currently looking into possibly building a further vehicle," McLaren chief Ron Dennis said at the opening of the McLaren Technology Center last month in Woking, near London.
Juergen Hubbert, head of DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz car operations, said: "Our focus is currently on the sales start of the SLR.
"But we are already looking into the future. We want to create a new brand."
Hubbert said the proposed vehicle would be positioned between the Mercedes-Benz SL and the $400,000 SLR McLaren.
Although they emphasized that there is no decision to build the model, Dennis and Hubbert said they believe a production volume of 15,000 units would be realistic.
The first 30 SLR McLarens were finished quickly when the technology center opened May 12. The car's production volume will be 3,500 vehicles.
"The SLR took some doing," Dennis said. "In the beginning we thought we were better than we really were."
He said McLaren lost a lot of time and money at the start of SLR production because the company underestimated Mercedes-Benz's high quality standards.
Customers face the consequences of these delays.
Hubbert said a customer who orders an SLR today and pays a deposit of $50,000 will get the car at the end of 2006 at the earliest.
The car has a base price of about $400,000.
