Out, Out, Putrid Porsche

Porsche is seeing red over London Mayor Ken Livingstone’s plans to charge drivers of the most polluting cars $50 a day to enter the capital. If reelected on May 1, as expected, the mayor will more than triple the congestion charge for vehicles that emit more than 225 grams of CO2 per kilometer and older models with engines larger than 3,000 cc, from the current $16 a day. Also, drivers of these cars will no longer get the 90% London resident’s discount. The hike would hit an estimated 33,000 vehicles per day, not just popular Porsche models like the Cayenne SUV but also so-called Chelsea Tractors, such as the Range Rover. Porsche spokesperson Andrew Davis calls the increase “unfair and disproportionate.” Porsche, which sells 8,500 cars a year in Britain, plans to file a legal challenge to get the measure overturned. –Kerry Capell