In the final installment of this week’s discussion of the companies being eyed by Mercedes-Benz, we’ll discuss the rumor that the German automaker is planning on buying the McLaren racing team and engineering brand.
Daimler already owns 40 percent of the McLaren name. And although some sources say that the deal has already been made, Mercedes-Benz officials haven’t commented on any of the details or even confirmed that they plan on making a deal.
Even though Daimler owns 40 percent of McLaren, the other 60 percent belongs to several different investors, including:
• Ron Dennis: 15 percent
• Mansour Ojjeh (Dennis’s Saudi business partner): 15 percent
• Mumtalakat (Bahraini holding company): 10 percent
That means if Daimler wanted to take control of McLaren, it would need either to buy out one of the other shareholders to acquire a majority of the shares or to negotiate with them.
However, these buyout rumors have been swirling around for a couple years. Daimler hasn’t really made any major moves to confirm or deny the rumors, either. The companies work closely together, and even two years ago there was speculation that the deal was already finalized.
Currently, McLaren produces the SLR supercar for Mercedes-Benz. It is also working on a spinoff vehicle called the P11. McLaren also produces Formula One cars for Mercedes.
If you visit your local Benz dealer, you might see the McLaren influence on some of the more performance-focused vehicles. Check ‘em out today!
