Old diesel cars could be banned from German cities' roads according to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.

A report in the paper claims that a number of the country's big cities are planning to implement a ban on certain vehicles so as to meet European targets on the reduction of emissions.

The ban could affect as many as five million cars and small trucks across Germany, and is also likely to see an increase in the purchase of new, cleaner diesel vehicles to replace them.

It was revealed earlier this year that many German cities had breached EU regulations on diesel particle emissions, and in an effort to deal with the problem, the newspaper claims that Stuttgart will introduce a driving ban on older diesel vehicles from 2007, and will be quickly followed by Frankfurt the following year.

The ban is likely to have a massive impact on the sale of more modern, cleaner vehicles in the country as motorists look to avoid being banned from Germany's cities.


Ÿ DeHavilland Information Services plc