Rumbling of discontent in home of Porsche as city orders polluting diesel cars off streets

OLDER diesel cars are to be banned from the centre of Stuttgart to reduce air pollution.

Stuttgart, the home city of Mercedesbenz and Porsche, is the second city in Germany to order diesel cars off the streets.

However, Hamburg’s ban, which was introduced this year, applies only to two main roads. The ban in Stuttgart will be more comprehensive, and will prohibit older diesel vehicles from the entire city centre.

Like the UK, Germany is facing pressure from the European Commission to lower air pollution levels in its cities.

The ban, starting in January, is a victory for environmentalists who went to court to force it on the local authorities.

But it has been greeted with dismay by motorists, who fear that the value of their vehicles may be wiped out if more cities follow suit.

In an attempt to limit the impact, the government of Baden-württemberg said that initially the ban would only apply to older vehicles that do not meet 2009’s Euro 5 emissions standards.

However, if the city’s air quality does not meet legal requirements by the middle of next year, the ban will be extended to cover all diesel cars that do not meet the latest Euro 6 emissions standards, which were introduced in 2014.

Similar bans on diesel cars are planned in Paris, Madrid and Athens by 2025, and the mayor of Copenhagen wants to introduce one in the Danish capital next year.