SOLIHULL MP WELCOMES NEW LAND ROVER TECHNOLOGY TO CUT CO2

11.05.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 10th Sep 2007

Solihull MP, Lorely Burt today praised Land Rover for their efforts to reduce CO2 emissions following a briefing with parent company, Ford in Westminster.

Mrs Burt said Ford's commitment to sustainable technology for Land Rover and Jaguar models was "commendable" despite uncertainty surrounding any future sale of the two marques.

Land Rover has taken another step forward in reducing its impact on the environment with the unveiling of the latest technology to be applied to its award winning Freelander 2.

The intelligent stop/start system, which will be fitted as standard on all diesel manual Freelander models, will help to cut CO2 emissions by over 7% from 194 g/km to 179 g/km. It will deliver a 10% improvement to fuel economy which equates, in a combined cycle (NEDC), to 41.5 mpg (6.8/100 km).

The stop/start system will be installed on all manual diesel Freelanders sold across the world, saving around 10m tonnes of CO2 a year.*

The system turns off the engine when the vehicle is stationary and automatically restarts it when the driver is ready to move off. This prevents the engine from unnecessary idling, eliminates wasting fuel and cuts carbon dioxide emissions. Failsafe systems are built in to prevent usage when the battery power is low, during cold start conditions and when air conditioning levels need to be maintained.

The first vehicles to benefit from the stop/start system will be produced in early 2009.

"I have driven a prototype of the new Freelander and I can say that it is a superb vehicle with the capacity to make big savings in CO2 emissions," said Lorely Burt MP

The stop/start system is just one of Land Rover's integrated approaches to tackling the challenges of climate change.

Land Rover and Jaguar will jointly invest £700m in sustainable technology over the next five years, building on Ford's multi-billion euro programme. This will include developing hybrid technology and the use of lightweight material.

"Despite uncertainty over the possible sale of Land Rover and Jaguar, I am heartened that significant investment in sustainable technology is being committed over the coming years. This demonstrates a real commitment to both companies, their workforce and to the environment that is commendable and gives cause for optimism for the future," said Mrs Burt.

In addition, Land Rover balances all its manufacturing CO2 emissions from its UK operations (and the first 45,000 miles of customer use in the UK) with the world's largest consumer offset programme managed by Climate Care.