Land Rover fined for unauthorized entry into Xinjiang nature reserve

Luxury SUV maker Land Rover has apologized for its adventure tour in Xinjiang’s Lop Nor Wild Camel National Nature Reserve after it triggered a public uproar.

Land Rover China apologized on its Sina Weibo account on Wednesday, saying that “we accepted the punishment from nature reserve management bureau and we feel sorry our activity has caused a bad influence. Employees involved in the activity have been suspended from their posts.”

The management bureau of the nature reserve, which is home to rare and endangered wild camels, fined Land Rover 250,000 yuan ($37,796) for violating China’s regulations on nature reserves, the Oriental Outlook reported.

The investigation showed 49 people and 16 Land Rovers drove through the nature reserve during the company’s adventure tour, said the report.

According to regulations, any group or individual who enters a nature reserve without approval will be fined between 100 and 5,000 yuan.

The adventure tour sparked an uproar among the public and some of them were still not satisfied with the penalty.

Some Net users claimed that it was less than a slap on the wrist for Land Rover which sells vehicles that can cost over 1 million yuan.

Another Sina Weibo user wrote, “This isn’t punishment, it’s actually cheap advertising. The regulation should be amended.”