Land Rover underlines offsetting commitment

It may be the bete noire of many green groups, but Land Rover today unveiled a number of new environmental measures as it continues its efforts to shrug off its tag as a manufacturer of "gas guzzling" 4x4s.

The company said it has extended its offsetting programme into the fast-growing Middle East market, and was expecting to launch the offer in other international markets before the end of the year as it seeks to deliver full global coverage.

Under the programme, which was launched in the UK in 2006 and now operates in the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Sweden and Austria, Land Rover will pay to offset carbon emissions associated with its manufacturing operations in the UK and offer customers the chance to offset emissions arising from the first 72,000km they drive.

A spokesman for the company said that customers could opt out of offsetting their first 72,000km, but added that with the cost included in the headline price, few purchasers had chosen to do so.

The expanded offsetting programme - which is run by UK-based ClimateCare - will see the company fund the distribution of energy efficient lightbulbs to 330,000 homes in Mauritius.

Phil Popham, managing director at Land Rover, said that while the company was also investing heavily in developing technologies to cut emissions from its vehicles, it would also continue to support offset projects. "In 2009 we shall bring more of our markets into the programme," he added.

The extension of the offset programme follows the unveiling of a new version of the manufacturer's flagship Freelander 4x4 featuring new intelligent stop-start technology.

The company said the new Freelander 2 TD4 boasts eight per cent lower carbon emissions than previous versions of the vehicle, cutting emissions from 194g/km to 179g/km and improving fuel economy from 37.7mpg to 41.3mpg.