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Environmental group accuses BMW, JLR of link to deforestation in Paraguay

ASUNCION, Paraguay — Environmental group Earthsight said on Wednesday it has linked some of Europe's largest carmakers to the deforestation of the Chaco, a dry forest region of Paraguay home to jaguars and one of the last uncontacted indigenous groups in the world. The group said in a report that livestock companies have illegally logged lands of the Ayoreo Totobiegosode indigenous ethnic group, some of whose members live in voluntary isolation. The livestock skin is used in leather upholstery of luxury vehicles sold by high-end European auto brands including BMW, Jaguar and Land Rover, the group said. UK-based Earthsight said it had made covert visits to tanneries that bragged about supplying the raw material to the luxury car brands. "BMW is using hides sourced from two slaughterhouses processing cows from ranches responsible for illegal [logging] in the Ayoreo Totobiegosode's forests. Jaguar Land Rover didn't dispute sourcing from a Paraguayan tannery that processes hides from another slaughterhouse doing the same," the report said. Jaguar Land Rover said in a statement to Reuters it had found no evidence to verify Earthsight's claims. It said its European suppliers assured sustainability. "We continue  our drive for further transparency and, in this case, the leather supplier in Europe verifies with each raw material supplier that no rural property that directly supplies it is involved in illegal deforestation," the automaker said. BMW did not respond to a request for comment on the Earthsight investigation. Paraguay exports about 50,000 tons of wet-blue leather (tanned, but not dried, dyed or finished) a year, and almost two-thirds of those shipments are bound for Europe, according to the report. Automakers say that leather is a byproduct of the far larger meat industry and high-end cars constitute a comparatively small market niche. But indigenous leaders say deforestation driven by growth in beef and leather exports is encroaching on their territory and destroying their way of life. "As deforestation advances with extensive cattle ranching, they are being imprisoned, they are disappearing," Taguide Picanerai, a spokesman for the Ayoreo community in the Alto Paraguay department, northwest of Asuncion, told Reuters. The region is home to some of the world's highest rates of deforestation, Earthsight said.   Green BMW Jaguar Land Rover

Alpina XD3 Bi-Turbo offers facelifted looks, diesel-powered 4.9-sec 0-62 sprint [w/video]

I've always thought it would be fascinating to look at the psychographic data of Alpina's customer base. While the company's high-zoot rendition of BMW 7 and 5 Series sedans makes plenty of sense, I don't quite understand the appeal of the still-expensive tunes, further down the range. Enter the European-only Alpina XD3 Bi-Turbo, which made its debut here in Geneva today. The XD3 has been around for a bit, but this year it's refreshed to coincide with the BMW X3's own nip-tuck. The result is essentially a new front and back fascia on the same, ginormous Alpina wheels that make the brand's products instantly recognizable. For anyone that covets huge diesel performance in a small SUV-shaped package, that's a good thing. The XD3 pushes a whopping 516 pound-feet of torque and 345 horsepower out of its 3.0-liter, biturbo sixer, all good for a 0-62-mile-per-hour sprint of just 4.9 seconds. Which is quick by any measure. Still, the privilege of driving the fast, high-center-of-gravity Bimmer doesn't come cheaply – Alpina would like just over 69,000 euro ($77,000 by today's rates) for each example. That kind of coin will buy a European equal performance in the form of a Porsche Macan diesel, or any number of non-SUV performance rides, too. It takes a special mind, I suppose... Related Video:

So, how do you actually pronounce that automaker's name?

You probably have that friend who always says Porsche wrong, or maybe it's someone who keeps reminding you it's actually two syllables. Whichever side of the pronunciation debate you fall on, you'll find someone to root for in the video above. And before you ask, this was all the video team's idea. So don't get mad at me for being the voice of reason. BMW Chevrolet Hyundai Nissan Rolls-Royce Videos Original Video nissan qashqai