SURREY, England -

McLaren Automotive, the British manufacturer of high-performance sports cars that recently rolled out a certified pre-owned program, appointed a new chief executive officer on Monday.

Rising into the role is Mike Flewitt, who previously was the OEM’s chief operating officer, a position McLaren says no longer will exist now that he has been appointed as CEO.

McLaren Automotive chairman Ron Dennis said, “I am very pleased to announce the promotion of Mike Flewitt to chief executive officer. Mike has proven to be an automotive professional of the highest caliber and since joining the company one year ago he has contributed significantly to the delivery of the McLaren Automotive vision.

“The company has already achieved a great deal, including launching three of the world’s most exciting high performance sports cars, establishing a global dealer network and developing the world class McLaren Production Center,” Dennis continued.

“McLaren Automotive has laid solid foundations for a great future and I am confident that as CEO, Mike will play a major role in helping the company to achieve its potential,” Dennis went on to say.

Before joining McLaren last May, Flewitt was vice president of manufacturing with Ford of Europe and a corporate officer at the Blue Oval, positions he held for nine years.

Prior to his roles with Ford, Flewiit held senior manufacturing and operations roles at TWR Group Limited, AutoNova AB and Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor Cars Limited.

Commenting on his appointment, Flewitt said, “In the year I have been with McLaren, we have launched the 12C Spider and revealed the McLaren P1, both outstanding sports cars and testament to the talented and hard-working team I am honored to be a part of.

“We have a solid product and business plan in place for the future which I look forward to steering,” he continued. “McLaren is a very exciting place to be right now.”

In April, McLaren launched its CPO program. Auto Remarketing published details of the automaker’s plans here.

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