Porsche has formally launched its High Court challenge to London Mayor Ken Livingstone's new £25 polluters' charge

Porsche has formally launched its High Court challenge to London Mayor Ken Livingstone's new £25 polluters' charge.

The German sports car specialist lodged papers at the court, the first step in seeking to quash the charge on the grounds that it is "disproportionate" and "an illegal action by the Mayor".

A judge will decide in the next few days whether there are sufficient legal grounds to justify the challenge going to a full hearing.
Mayor Livingstone has urged Porsche to drop the case, claiming it did not have the support of Londoners.

He wants to charge drivers of cars emitting more than 225g/km to pay £25 each time they enter central London.

The company argues the move to increase the current congestion charge for these vehicles from £8 a day, or £0.80 for residents, to £25 is both unfair and disproportionate.

Andy Goss, managing director of Porsche Cars GB, said after the judicial review papers were filed at the Royal Courts of Justice: "Not only is this new tax on motorists unfair, it is also a disproportionate and illegal use of power by the mayor.

"The Porsche case is about protecting London and Londoners from a new tax that will not only fail to reduce CO2 emissions in central London, but also increase congestion and damage air quality."

Porsche wants the judicial review proceedings heard quickly and as a matter of urgency. The new charge is scheduled to be imposed in October.

Just two models in the Porsche range emit less than 225g/km – the Porsche Boxster 2.7-litre and Porsche Cayman 2.7-litre – and will pay the £8 charge.

The Mayor's Ipsos-Mori poll found that 61 per cent of Londoners backed the decision to charge around 30,000 drivers of band-G vehicles £25 every time they drive into central London.

Michele Dix, managing director of planning at TfL, said: "We have already made clear that we believe Porsche's reasons for objecting to the proposed CO2 Charge are unfounded.

"We believe they should focus their attention on cutting CO2 emissions from the cars they produce, rather than pursuing this pointless legal action which we will vigorously contest when it reaches Judicial Review.

"We have already seen several motor manufacturers rise to the challenge of cutting CO2 emissions from their cars and Porsche should join them.

"The principal aim of the scheme remains tackling congestion. The aim of the CO2 Charge element and discount of the scheme is to cut CO2 emissions, through influencing people's car purchasing choices by stimulating the market for low emissions cars and reducing the number of very high CO2 emitting cars driving in central London.

"At the moment, 17 per cent of cars driving in the charge zone are in Band G, while just 2 per cent are in Bands A and B. We expect to see the number of Band G cars cut significantly over time."