Campaigners Call For Wimbledon To CANCEL Range Rover Sponsorship Deal
Anti-SUV campaigns have required Wimbledon's organisers to stop shuttling tennis players and their entourages around London in Range Rovers and instead force the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Emma Raducanu to take television or a bus to take a trip to and from Centre Court.
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In an open letter sent out to the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) today, the SUV Alliance demanded the instant termination of its 10-year collaboration with the British cars and truck maker and for it to motivate gamers to use 'London's world-renowned public transportation network'.
The letter says 'harmful supersized' Range Rover hybrid SUVs released for tennis pros during the competitors present a 'big threat for children, pedestrians and bicyclists' in the capital.
The group - in a separate statement - connected its concerns to the death of two eight-year old-girls, Selena Lau and Nuria Sajjad, who were killed outside their main school in July 2023 simply streets away from where the Championships were taking place at the time.
Claire Freemantle, 48, crashed her Land Rover Defender into a crowd gathered for an end-of-term tea party at the nearby The Study Preparatory School, costing the lives of the two kids and hurting 10 others. Medical examination had actually initially revealed that she had suffered an epileptic seizure, resulting in the loss of control of the ₤ 80,000 automobile and was not charged. However, Freemantle was rearrested in January on suspicion of causing death by hazardous driving, with a complete investigation ongoing.
The AELTC today reacted to the letter, stating it requires larger automobiles to carry gamers, their entourages and their 'significant travel luggage, package bags, devices, and racquets'.
Anti SUV projects today composed to organisers of Wimbledon calling for them to scrap the competition's 10-year partnership with Range Rover and right away stop using its 'hazardous supersized' cars and trucks to shuttle bus players to and from the competition
The SUV Alliance states the All England Club should instead force the similarity Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Emma Raducanu (imagined) to take television or a bus to travel to and from the competition in southwest London
In the open letter resolved to the chair of the AELTC, Ms Deborah Jevans CBE, and Usama Al-Qassab, its marketing and commercial director, the project group said: 'We the undersigned are once again writing with discouragement about the use of big SUVs as the official lorry of the Wimbledon Championship, and the broader sponsorship of Wimbledon by Jaguar Land Rover as a leading producer of these automobiles.
' Research has shown that heavy and big SUVs, like the Range Rover, are specifically dangerous to children and individuals strolling, wheeling and cycling.
' Using these cars stands in direct contradiction to the sport-positive message of the Championship and neglects the issues of Londoners.'
It referenced a current YouGov poll of 1,000 London grownups (performed between 5 and 7 April 2025) that found that 61 per cent of parents in the capital are concerned that larger vehicles make it more dangerous for children to walk and cycle.
' The probability of somebody walking or biking being eliminated boosts by 44 percent when struck by an SUV compared to a small car, increasing even more to 82 percent for children. This is due to the extra weight of an SUV and design features such as a taller bonnet,' the letter goes on.
' A lot of us are parents and grandparents ourselves and feel the predicament of desiring to motivate our kids to walk, wheel, cycle and play outdoors - for health, psychological health and their own autonomy - however at the same time fearing what might happen if our children share the streets with supersized SUVs.'
JLR has been a main partner for Wimbledon because 2015 and supplies a fleet of plug-in hybrid cars to transfer players throughout the tournament
Organisers last year said the plug-in electrical hybrid Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Velar (visualized) vehicles utilized to shuttle tennis pros are charged at the club 'using 100% eco-friendly electrical power for near-silent running throughout The Championships'
The Range Rover Sport PHEV can be driven unique in EV mode for up to 75 miles, indicating the vehicles released for gamers and their groups are nearly always producing no tailpipe emissions
The letter likewise raised problem with the regional air contamination impact of AELTC utilizing Range Rover Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) cars and trucks - which can be driven for around 75 miles in electric-only mode if the battery is completely charged - to carry players, their and VIPs to and from the occasion.
Organisers in 2015 stated the plug-in electric hybrid Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Velar automobiles utilized are charged at the club 'utilizing 100 per cent eco-friendly electricity for near-silent running throughout The Championships'.
However, the anti-SUV group stated the automobiles will 'still emit particle pollution from tire wear, a leading source of contamination in London, which is made more extreme by the Range Rover's weight'.
The letter carries on: 'We should also be clear that this sponsorship is a kind of marketing. The endorsement of big SUVs through partnerships like JLR and the AELTC drives an unnecessary aspirational culture for ever bigger cars, at the cost of public area and safety for others.
' Excessive marketing and advertising has added to SUV ownership surging in the UK, from just 19 per cent of sales ten years ago to 62 percent of new vehicle sales last year.'
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Instead of using Range Rover's supplied fleet of PHEV models, the campaign group recommended organisers make its 'large volumes of players and entourages around the competition' instead use 'London's world-renowned public transport network' and 'shared transportation and active travel choices' to 'set an example and to provide the Championship's fundamental sporting message'.
It adds that 'where cars and trucks are needed' the organisers ought to just supply small electrical automobiles while considering alternative automobile partners.
In a further statement, Oliver Lord, head of the Clean Cities campaign group - which is part of the SUV Alliance - said: 'It's astonishing how Wimbledon insists on releasing big SUVs in our congested capital regardless of exceptional public transport and mounting evidence of the hazardous threat they present to children.
' Why can't visitors utilize public transportation like the majority of Londoners, at the extremely least, more typical sized automobiles that don't crowd us off the roads or endanger individuals walking and biking?'
Wimbledon organisers respond
JLR (previously Jaguar Land Rover and the moms and dad group of Range Rover) was approached by This is Money to react to the open letter, with a representative informing us that it 'delays to the All England Lawn Tennis Club for remark'.
This is Money likewise got in touch with the AELTC for comment.
The All England Club says it utilizes bigger vehicles due to the fact that it requires to carry gamers, their teams and 'considerable travel luggage, kitbag, equipment, and racquets' throughout the competition
The 2025 Wimbledon tournament began on Monday, with the anti-SUV advocates releasing their open letter on Wednesday. Pictured: Defending Men's Champion Carlos Alcaraz on Monday
A spokesperson for the All England Club told us: 'JLR has been a crucial partner to The Championships because 2015, particularly with Range Rover this year.
'We have actually worked carefully with them on the addition of a significant variety of lower emission plug-in hybrid cars in our fleet which, are being charged on-site with 100 per cent eco-friendly electrical power.
'Given the length of Grand Slam occasions - 3 weeks from the start of practice to the conclusion of the competition - players normally prefer to stay in property instead of hotel accommodation during their time at Wimbledon.
'This is an excellent boost for the city as gamers become part of the regional community, however it does require an automobile fleet to shuttle gamers in between their accommodation and the premises.'
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The representative added: 'Players frequently travel with at least three guests, (generally coach, physio, or member of the family) and often show up directly from other tournaments without going home for weeks or perhaps months.
'We work closely with these elite professional athletes and their teams to guarantee suitable space, including head space for them and their entourage, who also often have significant baggage, kit bags, equipment, and racquets.
'Our objective is for that reason to accommodate each player and their group within one automobile versus the need for two different cars.
'Our focus this year remains for as numerous journeys as possible to be delivered in EV mode. Trip distances all occur within a seven-mile radius, however the average journey length is less than five miles, suggesting the bulk can be provided on the EV series of the hybrid Range Rover lorries which we are using.'
T&E's analysis of the brand-new car market discovered that the typical bonnet height of a traveler vehicle offered in the UK has leapt from 77cm in 2010 to 84cm in 2024
Analysis performed by Loughborough University on behalf of T&E said a chauffeur of a RAM TRX truck is not able to see a child as much as 9 years of ages straight in front of their bumper. For a motorist of a Land Rover Defender, the high bonnet obstructs their view of kids approximately 4. 5 years, it declared
The report states higher-fronted SUVs substantially increases the death rate when pedestrians are struck as they are more most likely to be pulled under a moving automobile instead of bounce off them
Large SUVs under the spotlight
The alliance's attack on Range Rover comes weeks after an ecological think tank dubbed SUVs a 'growing hazard to public security'.
It claimed their greater bonnets implies drivers are unable to see kids as old as nine standing straight in front of them. This, it stated, is a specific threat when motorists are leaving a driveway or parking area, or when travelling in stop-start traffic outside schools.
Transport & Environment, which produced the report, said typical bonnet heights for newly-sold automobiles in the UK is increasing by half a centimetre a year - reaching 83.8 cm in 2024 - due to the continuous popularity of SUV-style lorries. It pointed the finger directly at the need for JLR designs in Britain for accelerating this increase in bonnet height.
It declared that the front of SUVs normally strike adult pedestrians above the centre of gravity, frequently first hitting vital organs in the body's core, with a higher possibility of knocking them forward and down, and a higher threat of driving over them.
This is deemed far more hazardous than conventional hatchback and saloon cars with lower bonnets, which tend to hit pedestrians' legs, providing higher opportunities of falling towards the automobile, or of being deflected.
However, JLR (formerly Jaguar Land Rover and the parent company of Range Rover) hit back at that report, saying it fits all its new models with the 'latest in sophisticated security technology features' to mitigate such situations. This consists of pedestrian detection, 3D surround video cameras, and self-governing emergency situation braking.
Transport & Environment previously accused supersized SUVs - like the Range Rover - of leaving less room for other road users as well as being too huge for basic parking bays
Claire Freemantle, the driver of the Land Rover Defender that clashed with and caused the death of the 2 schoolgirls on 6 July 2023, was initially jailed at the scene.
Following a preliminary examination, the Crime Prosecution Service (CPS) said Ms Freemantle had actually suffered an epileptic seizure behind the wheel, which caused her to lose control of the car that then drove through a fence and into the school play area.
As an outcome this indicated she would not be charged, it stated.
At the time, her lawyer said her epilepsy had 'never ever previously manifested itself' and Ms Freemantle 'had actually always enjoyed health'.
However, in January, Freemantle was launched on bail after being rearrested earlier that month on suspicion of causing death by unsafe driving.
She was arrested for the 2nd time after the Met Police stated it examined its examination following the CPS's choice last June not to charge her.
The Met Police stated a specialist criminal activity evaluation group had 'recognized lines of query which required even more evaluation'.
Speaking in response to the awful event, a JLR spokesperson today told This is Money: 'Our deepest sympathies stay with all those impacted.
'The Police investigation is still continuous and for that reason it would be inappropriate for us to offer additional remark.'
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