Land Rover cancels G4 Challenge endurance rally

Carmakers are scrambling to slash costs, and the first things to usually go are unnecessary sponsorships as well as motorsport commitments, as Honda demonstrated with its recent withdrawal from F1. Now, Land Rover has confirmed that it will cancel its G4 Challenge in order to focus more on product launches next year.
The program was originally going to take competitors from 18 different countries, who would then compete in challenges with off-road driving at their core, as well as adventure sports and extreme initiative challenges for an "ultimate test of team spirit and physical fitness". The entire Land Rover fleet was supposed to be involved, with the Range Rover Sport, Freelander 2 and Discovery 3 all earmarked for duty.
Discussing why the program was being abandoned, the managing director of Land Rover stated that "given the severity of the global economic downturn and trading conditions, we need to make some tough decisions and that means prioritizing our budgets on new product launches. We are disappointed for the competitors who have shown so much commitment and put tremendous effort into succeeding as representatives of their nation. We have and will continue to take swift and decisive actions for the benefit of the business; unfortunately that means the Land Rover G4 Challenge has to come to an early close."
A key part of the Land Rover G4 Challenge was its commitment to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The Challenge was utilized as a fund generating activity for the charity, with the aim of generating £1 million ($1.49 million) over the course of the next two programs. Despite canceling the Challenge, Land Rover claims that it remains committed to this partnership, although how it will fund charity events remains unclear.