Badverts of the Month: Land Rover
Company: Land Rover
Model: Defender
Location: Tabloid Newspaper
“Above and beyond” concerns over the climate
Surely the 'crucial test' for Land Rover is whether they can stop their cars fuelling the climate emergency with vehicles whose emissions are so far 'above & beyond' targets for new cars - over three times above the EU limit fixed at 95g of Carbon Dioxide per every kilometer travelled.
Land Rover breaks record CO2 emissions
In March 2019, Jaguar Land Rover recalled 44,000 of its vehicles fitted with a two litre petrol or diesel engine over concerns that they were contributing to excessive CO2 emissions. This isn’t surprising considering that the car manufacturer’s vehicles are all set within the highest range of carbon emissions. A study found Land Rover to be the greatest contributor to CO2 emissions alongside thirteen other leading vehicles manufacturers.
Behind the forest, the congested roads
Contrary to what the ad depicts, where the Land Rover vehicle is portrayed in a beautiful wild forest, it is most likely that the car will be driving on narrow street roads or stuck in traffic jams. With a four times increase in SUV sales over the past ten
years in the UK, the idea that these would be only used as off-road vehicles for the countryside is far from the truth. In fact, these SUVs end up in major part congesting our towns and cities and adding to dangerous levels of air pollution.
Company Background: Land Rover
Land Rover is a British carmaker specialised in 4x4 vehicles which is part of the Jaguar Land Rover group and a subsidiary of Indian Tata Motors since 2008. Originally, “Land Rover” was referring to the Rover Company series of off-road car models. The car manufacturer specifically designed two models for military use, which have been used by the British and Australian Army as well as the Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service.
In 2019, Jaguar Land Rover had suffered a profit loss of £3.6 billions, which prompted the group to plan a 45,000 job cuts to save an estimated £1.25 billion. This is despite having still accrued revenues of an estimated £24.2 billions for the 2019 financial year.