Ding, ding... Round Two!
Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London, has made his populous British city a very unfriendly place for motorists, and his latest plant to increase the city's congestion charge to £25 ($48.72 USD) for all gas-guzzling, carbon-spewing vehicles within the city limits has drawn the ire of Porsche. In a letter delivered to the mayor, the Stuttgart-based automaker gave Livingstone 14 days to reconsider the charge, which it considers too expensive and ineffective at reducing pollution, or else it would take the matter to the courts.
Livingstone apparently checked his mail that day, and has responded with some choice words. Accusing Porsche of imposing unnecessary pollution on Londoners, he basically compares the brand's sports cars to garbage littered on the street.
The reason Porsche is so interested in stopping Livingston's increased congestion charges is that only only two models in its current lineup, the entry-level Boxster and Caymen, are exempt from the current charge of £8 to enter a "congestion zone". Increasing the charge to £25 would no doubt tank Porsche sales in the affluent neighborhoods of London. Unfortunately, Livingstone's congestion charges have been challenged in court before and he's won each time.
Porsche UK, however, has set up a website for anyone who wishes to support its desire for a judicial review of Livingstone's plan. The automaker uses the website to lay out its argument, as well as solicit signatures for an online petition.
It looks like each side has managed to land a decent punch this round, but we're betting this fight is far from over.
[Source: PistonHeads, Forbes]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Thetruck454 @ Feb 21st 2008 12:07PM
I wonder of Porsche is doing it more in principal because if you can afford more than just the "lowly" cayman/boxster, you can afford the higher tax
TwinTurbo3000GT @ Feb 21st 2008 12:12PM
I dont see why porsche is getting so worked up. There's no way he's getting reelected after this, and the next mayor is just going to repeal it. But i do agree with porsche, it is a completely unfair and unjust tax, but more fo for commercial vehicles.
Dazza @ Feb 21st 2008 2:03PM
He won't get re-elected? Livingstone has brought more commerce into London than any council since WW2. The rate of development in the City and in Canary Wharf has mushroomed under his Mayorship. The congestion charge was a huge success, and despite the expanded area of the charge, it still remains a comparatively small area as a whole. While the charges for vehicles polluting more than 225g/km of C02 are high, there are plenty of cars which fall below that. You don't need thousands of people driving cars larger than a Mondeo into central London to soon snarl it up. Traffic congestion costs this country billions each year in lost economic value. Porsche is being ridiculous to even fight it.
VP @ Feb 21st 2008 12:13PM
Not that i agree with the tax but would a 25 pound charge really deter potential Porshce customers from buying the car they really want? I don't think so.
993C4S @ Feb 21st 2008 12:45PM
If I understand it correctly. The tax is incurred once per day on any day you enter one of the "congestion" zones.
Singapore has similar taxes (not pollution based) that are used to deter the motoring public from using highly congested areas during certain times.
josh @ Feb 21st 2008 3:36PM
The current charge is 8 pounds if you enter the congestion zone between 7am and 6pm, Monday to Friday except for public holidays.
In October, the charge for cars that emit high levels of CO2 (4WDs, performance vehicles) will become 25 pounds.
tek @ Feb 21st 2008 12:14PM
Have you ever been to London? Do you know what rich Brits are like? 25 quid will NOT stop them from buying a turbo. Think about it, if you have the money to buy a $120,000 car (because that's what a $70,000 model costs over there) then you have the money to pay a little tax thing. Trust me.
A decent pub meal in London for two can cost the equivalent of $75 anyway.
Zane @ Feb 21st 2008 12:24PM
Why in the world is Porsche getting so hyped up? It's not as if they're the only luxury sports car manufacturer to have registered sales in London.
Richard @ Feb 21st 2008 12:30PM
Honest to goodness. You have to hope that when these folks time comes and they need to be rushed off to the emergency room that they are promptly picked up and delivered...via ox-cart.
Paul M. Watson @ Feb 21st 2008 12:49PM
Your point is that Porsches should be used as ambulances? Deadly!
Mike @ Feb 21st 2008 12:33PM
Idiots, its 25 bucks each day you go into the city, NOT a one time charge.
Gregg @ Feb 21st 2008 1:19PM
Who's an idiot? Of course it is 25 per day. The whole point it to discourage some of the pollution and congestion in a huge metropolis like London. Some of those who can afford Porsches will just pay it (and they can usually afford to), but it will discourage some as well. All the better. Most people who think about these issues thing user taxes are much better than for instance having our EPA impose mileage standards on manufacturers.
Dave T. @ Feb 21st 2008 12:48PM
I was in London in July and people who live in London park their Bentleys ON THE STREET. There aren't a lot of garages I guess. So if you had to pay $50 a day to park I think $1000 a month would deter even the wealthy from owning certain cars. They'd probably all get diesels.
As for driving in to the city (i'm not sure if the law is just an entry to zones or what) the one other thing I noticed was that there were A LOT of luxury cars. If you're driving in London and can afford to I guess you go BMW or Mercedes. It was a bit nuts even compared to a pricey suburb or something like that in the U.S.
josh @ Feb 21st 2008 3:19PM
Residents who live within or close to the congestion zone receive a 90% discount (total charge of 4 pounds a week).
Paul H. @ Feb 21st 2008 12:52PM
It amuses me that that barge more commonly referred to as the Lexus LS hybrid is exempt from such congestion charges, yet gets worse gas mileage and emits more CO2 per km than some more efficient, non hybrid vehicles.
Great plan, Red Ken, great plan.
May the force be with you on this one, Porsche.
psarhjinian @ Feb 21st 2008 5:44PM
In an urban environment, stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, a Lexus LS600h will emit _zero_ CO2 unless the battery is flat. Since it'll be almost continuously charged by regen-braking, this will rarely occur.
Drive a hybrid (a Toyota, Nissan or Ford, not a GM BAS or Honda IMA) in gridlock one day. If you use the gas engine once in 45 minutes, I'd be suprised.
Gooch @ Feb 21st 2008 1:01PM
Mike, before you go calling people idiots, it's 25 pounds, not 25 bucks. It's the equivalent of almost 49 bucks. Check yo'self.
Porsche is doing this because it recognizes an opportunity for good publicity, at least from the enthusiast rags. The brand's bread is buttered by its image; sports cars and the luxury lifestyle, and as a manufacturer of high-end goods, they are demonstrating their "obligation" to their current and potential customers in "fighting" a draconian law.
I'd do it too, if I was Porsche. When it comes down to it, they're the only manufacturer that has gone to bat for the marque's enthusiasts (and non-enthusiast rich people who buy their cars) in London.
Gregg @ Feb 21st 2008 1:23PM
Same thing, man. It is only $49 to us Americans. To the British not dealing with a weak dollar exchange rate. They are paid in pounds. 25 quid is likely about the same as $25 is in our budgets here.
Marco_VESS @ Feb 22nd 2008 5:19AM
If anything, it makes Porsche look like idiots who aren't getting with the planet-friendly programme.
Quit whingeing and develop a lower-CO2 car instead, Porsche.
Bert @ Feb 21st 2008 1:16PM
And here I thought the British defeated the fascists in 1945!
Clarkson for Mayor!