I also cannot speak to the business drivers at RN or company policies of Land-Rover; however I will say this for those who are a bit scared to use the proline parts.
Rovers North tests potential (non-genuine) parts for about six months before they have them available for sale.
How do I know this? As sponsors of Drive the Globe Overland Adventures, we have a long term working relationship, and personal contact with several of the guys there (Namely Les and Mark) and get what might be called "insider information" at times. As such I will not comment on what is being tested now, as it may be confidential, but I will be ordering some when the testing is done from the sound of the test results so far!
So, don't be afraid of the Proline parts. AND, (unless I'm mistaken), they still extend a warranty of some kind on the parts. Genuine is one year unlimited mileage (which for me, can be quite a few miles!) that makes high-dollar purchases (such as a new R380) a bit easier to swallow.
Check with your sales rep for more details....
Quality of parts and quality of service are what makes RN the best. Anyone can get parts, and may even have a better price. It's all the stuff you can't put a price on that makes the difference (Like allowing me to replace a bad u-joint in the RN garage on the way up to Canada...)
Owner: James Leach Global Expedition Services.
1995 110 Regular