McLaren CEO: We have negotiated with Apple but no clear decision on acquisition

Recently, according to AutoBlog, as early as September this year, a report from the Financial Times stated that Apple was discussing acquisitions with McLaren. A spokesperson for McLaren flatly denied the rumor. But subsequent facts proved that the denial by the McLaren spokesperson may contain complicated factors. In an interview with Reuters, McLaren's executive CEO Mike Flewitt said that the company did have acquisition talks with Apple, but the negotiations had not yet reached the stage where Apple made a final acquisition decision.

Mike Flewitt told Reuters: "So far, no formal acquisition offer has been received from Apple. Apple's relevant personnel have indeed visited McLaren, and the negotiations between the two sides are mainly about their respective past developments, but the contacts between the two sides have not yet reached the mature stage of making a clear decision."

Even if Apple makes a final offer, McLaren's management may not necessarily accept it. Recently, Ron Dennis, the long-time CEO of McLaren Automotive, was dismissed after 35 years in the position. A report from the BBC said that Ron Dennis's departure may be related to his management style. But a report from Sky News said that Ron Dennis was fired by the McLaren board of directors because he supported a Chinese company's acquisition of the company. Obviously, McLaren's directors do not want the company to be sold, whether the buyer is a Chinese consortium or other entities, Ron Dennis will eventually have to leave.

Although Ron Dennis has been removed as CEO of McLaren Automotive, he still holds a 25% stake in the company and will retain directorships on both McLaren Technology Group and McLaren Automotive.

Sky News reports that Zak Brown, a former Formula One driver with management experience in sporting goods marketing, will take over Ron Dennis's position .

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.