Autoblog

Land Rover sends millionth Discovery on transcontinental fundraising expedition

Noah Joseph — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:32:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, China, Plants/Manufacturing, Land Rover, UK, Off-Road

Land Rover is no stranger to achieving lofty goals, whether it's summiting one of the world's tallest mountains or traversing expanses of its most barren wilderness. But this time, it has reached another milestone altogether as the millionth Discovery (sold in the States as the LR4) has rolled off the marque's West Midlands production line.

The achievement was reached just the other day at the JLR assembly plant at Solihull near Birmingham, England, expedited as it was by a 20 percent workforce expansion over the last six months to keep up with demand for the 45,000 units sold across 170 markets in the last year alone. But rather than consigning the capable luxury SUV straight to the museum or selling it to an waiting customer, Land Rover has more philanthropic plans in mind for the landmark vehicle.

To mark the occasion, Land Rover is embarking on an 8,000-mile expedition across thirteen countries over 50 days, starting in Birmingham and ending in Beijing. The epic transcontinental road trip - being undertaken in the very same millionth Discovery built - is earmarked to raise £1 million ($1.95M) for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the most ambitious fundraising project the British automaker has ever undertaken. Follow the jump for the full press release.

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Land Rover sends millionth Discovery on transcontinental fundraising expedition originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For A Good Cause: 300 celebs sign Chrysler 300C for Haiti disaster relief [w/video]

Noah Joseph — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:29:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Auctions, Chrysler, Celebrities

Autographed Chrysler 300C for Haiti - Click above for high-res image gallery

The countless victims trapped under the rubble in Haiti need a lot of things: rescue, medical attention, food and water. A luxury sedan, you might think, wouldn't count among them, but Chrysler says otherwise. The brand's new CEO, Olivier Francois, brought a 300C to the red carpet at the Golden Globe awards this past Sunday and invited some 300 celebrities to sign it.

Specially branded and trimmed to "eco" specifications with cork, bamboo and recycled materials on the interior, the car was donated personally by Francois and is earmarked for a charity auction to benefit the American Red Cross in its relief efforts on the disaster-struck Caribbean island. General Motors is performing a similar act by auctioning off a rare 2008 Corvette Z06 Special Edition at the Barret-Jackson event in Scottsdale, AZ.

Details of the auction will follow, so stay tuned. In the meantime, there's video footage - showing such A-listers as Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bullock, Morgan Freeman, Sigourney Weaver and Neil Patrick Harris signing the car - after the jump, along with the press release, and images in the gallery below.

Gallery: Autographed Chrysler 300C for Haiti

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading For A Good Cause: 300 celebs sign Chrysler 300C for Haiti disaster relief [w/video]

For A Good Cause: 300 celebs sign Chrysler 300C for Haiti disaster relief [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford extends A-plan to California families affected by wildfires

Chris Shunk — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 14:28:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, SUV, Truck, Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Ford

With the terrible fires ravaging California, many companies are stepping up efforts to aid in the relief fund, and Ford is doing its part by extending its A-plan vehicle discount to any family that lost a vehicle in the fires. To claim Ford's coveted employee discount, victims from the disaster need to show an insurance report, police report, or a note from FEMA. To sweeten the pot, Ford is also keeping any rebates on its products, which makes for some very hefty discounts indeed.

Ford also felt firefighters should get some love too since they're the ones battling the unpredictable blazes. Any firefighter in the state of California also gets the A-plan option, and all they need to show is their ID card. Ford also pitched in 11 Super Duty trucks and nine Expeditions plus $100,000 to the Red Cross. As we mentioned in our previous post that details what each automaker has donated, it's nice to see our favorite industry doing its part to aid in California's relief. If Ford can help someone buy a Fusion (with a great discount) who just had his Camry burn to a crisp, there's no harm in the Blue Oval gaining a little market share while giving a victim or firefighter a break.

[Source: Ford, Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty]

Continue reading Ford extends A-plan to California families affected by wildfires

Ford extends A-plan to California families affected by wildfires originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Nov 2007 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford aids California wildfire recovery effort (GM, Toyota, Honda and Chrysler too)

Merritt Johnson — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:58:00 EST

Filed under: Ford

Ford maintains a large operation in Irvine, California, which happens to be an area greatly affected by the recent Southern California wildfires. While Ford's facilities are out of danger, many Southern Californians have lost their homes and are in need of assistance. Ford has sprung into action with a relief effort, much like automakers did immediately following the disaster that was Hurricane Katrina. The Blue Oval is donating 11 F-250 and F-350 Super Duty trucks and nine Expeditions to the fire and rescue departments within the ravaged areas. In addition, the automaker is also contributing $100,000 to the San Diego Red Cross. Employees of the company are being encouraged to volunteer their time to the relief cause, as many of them no doubt have friends and family whose lives are now permanently affected by the wildfires. Finally, those Ford owners who need time to recover from the disaster can also defer up to two vehicle payments. Follow the jump for the full press release.

[Source: Ford]

UPDATE: General Motors has also pitched in to help the relief effort. Here's what GM has offered.

$100,000 donation to the American Red Cross (ARC)
The ARC already operates a fleet of donated HUMMER H3s
Matching employee donations to the ARC through Nov. 30
Free Crisis Assist service for OnStar subscribers in designated areas
GM Goodwrench will replace air filters free of charge in designated areas
Work with customers on case-by-case basis concerning vehicle payments

UPDATE 2: Toyota has announced that it's donating $2 million to the American Red Cross, one of the largest donations the ARC has received thus far for the wildfire relief effort.

UPDATE 3: Honda has announced that it's donating $250,000 to the American Red Cross, as well as assessing the need for donating additional vehicles, Honda generators and other supplies.

UPDATE 4: Chrysler LLC and Chrysler Financial have announced that they're donating $100,000 each to the wildfire relief effort for supplies that will be distributed by the Rescue Task Force.

Continue reading Ford aids California wildfire recovery effort (GM, Toyota, Honda and Chrysler too)

Ford aids California wildfire recovery effort (GM, Toyota, Honda and Chrysler too) originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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