Sale of £70,000 Mercs could be banned

Car showrooms specialising in the sale of Mercedes cars are being warned that the sale of the latest £70,000 luxury vehicles could be banned.

The European Commission has told governments across Europe that German manufacturer Daimler has failed to comply with an EU law to help combat climate change and its latest vehicles cannot be approved for use.

The problem stems from Daimler's continued use of an air conditioning coolant that is said to be 1,400 times worse than carbon dioxide as a contributor to climate change.

All cars manufactured in Britain now use a coolant that is just four times worse than CO2, a dramatic improvement.

Daimler claims that the new product is dangerously flammable, a suggestion angrily refuted by other carmakers. Some suggest that the German manufacturer was trying to avoid the extra £15 per car cost of the coolant.

Last week the European Commission suggested that Daimler's tests were "controversial" and that any problems appeared to be specific to the design of Mercedes cars.

Officials have insisted that the law must be applied strictly to all new models put on the market since January 2013. This puts at risk all new Mercedes A-Class hatchbacks, B-Class family cars and SL roadster models.

EU Enterprise Commisioner Antonio Tajani warned last week that he will commence legal proceedings against governments that allow the cars to be put on the road.

Liberal Democrat Euro-MP Chris Davies was involved in making the law ten years ago. He has called on Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin to enforce the law, ban the sale of the new Mercedes cars and consider recalling all sold since January.

Davies said: "Carmakers in Britain are obeying the rules and doing their bit to combat climate change.

"The EU single market is hugely important to British jobs and trade, but there must be a level playing field. Companies elsewhere cannot be allowed to pick and choose what regulations they obey."