By Justin Berkowitz
July 9, 2008 - 33 views
The expression "doing well by doing good" is totally hot in business/academia. This Third Way thinking attempts to reconcile the [allegedly] conflicting notions of "making enough money to buy a Ferrari and a house in the Hamptons" and "getting enough props for being socially responsible to keep the trophy wife happy." As your average Land Rover belches-out enough CO2 to offend every environmental group on planet earth, Land Rover's got to hold a pity party to make their PC bones. And so they have, by donating 60 vehicles (48 Defenders, eight Discoveries and four Freelanders) to the British Red Cross (BRC) and other national Red Cross societies in "troubled" countries (Sierra Leone, Mongolia, Liberia, Lesotho, South Africa). Accepting the gift, Sir Nicholas Young, the CEO of the BRC, remarked that the people they help are often "in the places that are hardest to reach." True dat. And we applaud both the positive impact of this largesse and its PR efficacy. Every time the BBC shows all hell breaking loose somewhere, the guys handing out medical supplies and food are in a butch Defender 110. Our only question: why didn't Land Rover ship some free vehicles to the Red Cross (or other worthy group) in Tata's Indian pridelands?
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July 9th, 2008 at 11:47 am
My god, that’s a horrible picture of Maria Sharapova. Looks like a tall Ellen Degeneres. In 15 years.
July 9th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
If you can’t sell them, you may as well give them away and get the tax deduction. But wait, they are already loosing money and don’t need the deduction……….
July 9th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
I wonder if it is OK for the Red Cross to then turn around and sell these for some Toyota Land Crushers. I’m sure they appreciate the gesture. But really, what is the cost of ownership and reliability? I doubt an NGO wants additional fleet maintenance nightmares trying to stock parts and repair a dozens of makes and models of transport.
July 9th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Well done Land Rover - whatever the motivation - when did you last hear about a manufacturer giving that much kit to a charity?
July 9th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
PS Even in a dodgy picture Maria S has great looking legs!
July 9th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
If they had tried to give some vehicles to the American Red Cross, it would have been an awkward scene. Luxury soft-roaders wouldn’t do much good. Defenders and Disco’s would be much more appropriate, but you can’t get such a thing in America anymore.
July 9th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Do you mean a Defender 110 in the last paragraph? or a Discovery LR3?
July 9th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
so the red cross can expect 1.7 million dodge, gm, ford , toyota, and nissan SUV’s? Might as well, they are just sittin around doin nothing anyway.
July 9th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
They might as well give them away. Nobody wants to buy one. About an hour ago I saw a Rover on the note lot dealer’s tarmac priced at 6995. What’s that? 90% depreciation.
July 9th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
YAY LandRover!!!
July 9th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Well, whatever blows your skirt up. Was there a vehicle in that picture?
July 9th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
When the day comes that my commute is ~5 miles to/from work, I will gladly pay $6995 for one.
July 9th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Ahh, to be a fog light…
July 9th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Currently being in africa, where “troubled” countries mostly reside, most if not all of the Red Cross fleet are mostly Land Cruisers. Where did this Defender 110 whatever come from?