Land Rover to extend world's biggest CO2 offset programme to the Gulf

The Land Rover programme, the largest consumer offset undertaking in the world, enables the company and its customers to address climate change.

The CO2 Offset Programme was launched in the UK last September in partnership with Climate Care, an internationally respected CO2 offset provider.

The Middle East region will be one of the first markets outside the UK to implement the programme, which is part of Land Rover's integrated approach to address the challenges of climate change. The ultimate goal is CO2 neutrality from manufacturing and new vehicles sold, with investments being made in renewable energy projects such as wind and hydro, technology change and energy efficiency.

Mr Popham announced Land Rover's intention to offset emissions for all Land Rover LR2, LR3, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover vehicles sold in the Gulf from 09 Model Year introduction.
'We want Land Rover customers to be assured that not only will their purchase continue to be highly desirable, but they will also be part of a programme that will make an immediate and real impact on CO2 levels through offset projects around the world,' he said.

During his second visit to the region, Mr Popham underlined the importance of the Gulf market for the brand on a global level.

'The Middle East market is awash with optimism, adventure and a real 'can do' attitude - the very same attributes that distinguish Land Rover.

'The Middle East is the third largest market for Range Rover in the world. In September, Land Rover sales in the region increased by 36% as global sales rose to 26,000, a 34% increase,' he added.

Commenting on Land Rover's involvement in environmental sustainability programmes and future growth, Andy Gawthorpe, Managing Director, Land Rover Middle East, said, 'It has been another successful year for Land Rover and the future looks promising. We plan to maintain the momentum and the strong focus for future models is to keep the innovative brand character alive while developing technology that contributes to environment protection.'

Land Rover has cut emissions with each successive model in its range and is developing technologies to make further improvements. The CO2 emissions from its main manufacturing plant at Solihull have been cut by 30% over the past ten years.

The CO2 Offset Programme is a key part of an integrated approach to further reduce emissions and Land Rover plans to extend this initiative to other countries as well. Land Rover has also announced the development of new technologies, including hybrids and lightweight engineering, as part of a £700m investment over the next five years. The future direction of the brand aims to retain product desirability, yet offer consumers a model choice that supports the long-term sustainability of the environment.