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Porsche believes the proposed increase in the congestion charge for Band G cars is unfair, that the increase - 3025% for Central London residents - is 'disproportionate' and that it will do nothing to achieve the stated aim of decreasing emissions in central London.

Commenting on the Porsche action, Andy Goss, Managing Director of Porsche Cars GB, said:
"A massive congestion charge increase is quite simply unjust. Thousands of car owners driving a huge range of cars will be hit by a disproportionate tax which is clear will have a very limited effect on CO2 emissions."

Mr Goss added:
"Not only is this rise completely unfair to many drivers, but it will also damage London based-businesses of all sizes, and successful people from across the world will start to think twice about basing themselves here if they think they are going to be used as cash cows for City Hall. The proposed increase will be bad for London as a whole and will send out the signal that it is not serious about establishing itself as the best place in the world to do business."

Porsche followed its announcement with the release of an ICM poll which suggests that "three out of four Londoners oppose Mayor Ken Livingstone’s plan to increase the congestion charge to £25 for VED Band G vehicles."

Porsche also challenged the Major to release all of the Major's results for his December December poll conducted by Ipsos-Mori "or withdraws his original release."
The Porsche poll of 505 adults showed the following:

• By 74-23 per cent, Londoners believe the increase in the congestion charge to £25 is too high
• By 62-30 per cent, Londoners believe the charge is being brought in because the Mayor is most interested in securing extra revenue rather than cutting congestion and helping the environment
• By 81-11 per cent, Londoners believe the new charge will be bad for business in London

Responding to Porsche's poll, a spokesperson for the Mayor of London said:
"Porsche's flawed survey has no validity. The questions put to a small sample of Londoners failed even to mention that the £25 CO2 charge will only be paid by cars with the very highest carbon emissions, or that the cleanest vehicles will not have to pay any charge.

"The survey also did not even bother to mention that the purpose of the scheme is to tackle climate change.

"Participants in the survey were thus given totally misleading information about which vehicles would be affected and why a higher charge was being proposed.

"This survey, is part of a campaign by a blatantly vested interest, a luxury car manufacturer with high CO2 emitting cars.

"An Ipsos MORI attitudinal survey for TfL published in December, and based on a sample of 3,620 Londoners - seven times that in Porsche's poll, with around half of those resident in the existing congestion charging zone, found:

• Two-thirds (66 per cent) of respondents were in favour of the proposal upon which Transport for London has consulted, with 38 per cent strongly supporting it.  Only 21 per cent opposed the scheme.
• 63 per cent of respondents stated that the higher charge would act as an incentive to use a lower CO2 emitting car."