The auto industry responds to hurricane Sandy
One week ago, after Hurricane Sandy's violent landfall, residents along America's eastern seaboard awoke to starkly different landscapes than they ones they'd known a few hours earlier. Homes and offices had been destroyed, mementos and landmarks ruined, lives changed, taken, forever altered.
But even as Sandy continued to wreak havoc across parts of the country, relief efforts were gearing up. As we saw in the wake of 2010's, donations began pouring in from individuals, foundations, and major corporations, including the auto industry.听Here's a rundown of the support that car companies have given to date -- though keep in mind that this doesn't include the many, many volunteer hours that individual employees have contributed in their communities.
BMW听of听North America听is based in听Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, which was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. The company has given $1 million to the American Red Cross for relief and recovery efforts.听
Chrysler听has contributed $100,000 to the American Red Cross through its Ram truck brand, as well as 20 Ram 1500 Tradesman trucks.听
听has been the subject of much discussion the past few days, since 16 of its extended-range electric cars caught fire after being submerged in Hurricane Sandy's floodwaters. (The company has now听.) Although the start-up wasn't able to match the monetary donations given by established automakers, it did听open up its factory in Wilmington, Delaware, to house utility trucks and repair crews.
Ford听has contributed $50,000 to the American Red Cross -- just the latest gift in the company's longstanding relationship with听the Red Cross Disaster Responder Program.
General Motors听has given听, and each of those vehicles has been equipped with OnStar, to help workers听find their way around unfamiliar towns and neighborhoods. The company's GM Foundation has also contributed $250,000 to the Red Cross Disaster Responder Program.
Mazda听has made a听$100,000 contribution to the American Red Cross, and its nonprofit Mazda Foundation has awarded $5,000 grants to both the Flemington Area Food Pantry and The Food Bank Network of Somerset County.听
, which is headquartered in New Jersey, has given $1 million to the American Red Cross.
听hasn't yet announced a cash gift. However, it did send out a press release offering听"employee pricing and discounted financing on Nissan and听听vehicles to eligible individuals in FEMA-designated disaster and emergency areas who need to replace vehicles lost to Hurricane Sandy".
Toyota听is giving $1 million to the American Red Cross, and like most of the other automakers on this list, it will match charitable donations made by its employees. The company's financing arm is contacting lease and retail customers in the affected area, offering "extensions and lease deferred payments;听redirecting billing statements;听and arranging phone or on-line payments".
听has made a $500,000 donation to the American Red Cross through its nonprofit Volkswagen of American Foundation.
We'll try to update this list as word of other support comes in. We now return you to your regularly scheduled election day shenanigans.
