Diesel cars can be banned from cities

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A court in Germany has ruled that cities can ban older diesel cars

Older diesels are going to become a thing of the past in German cities, as a new ruling by a court in Stuttgart paves the way for reducing pollution in cities.

Imagine the shock of German automakers as this decision is made in what is the country's car capital, the home of Daimler and Stuttgart and the birthplace of the automobile. 

Cars that meet Euro 4 emissions standards could be banned from Stuttgart from next January, while Euro 5 vehicles should not be banned until September 1st, 2019. Euro 6 vehicles are not affected yet.

Why this matters?

Many other German cities exceed European Union limits on nitrogen oxide (NOx), known to cause respiratory disease. After the ruling, the northern city of Hamburg said it would start to implement limits on diesel vehicles from the end of April, writes Reuters.

So, basically, this is the signal that other municipalities have been waiting in order to start implementing tougher legislation to curb the sale of polluting cars.

The move comes in the wake of the Dieselgate scandal, that has started with Volkswagen cheating emission tests, but has since engulfed other manufacturers.

What's next?

Expect more and more manufacturers to focus on developing cleaner cars, such as mild-hybrids, plug-n hybrids, and electric cars.

Paris, Madrid, Mexico City, and Athens have said they plan to ban diesel vehicles from city centers by 2025, while the mayor of Copenhagen wants to ban new diesel cars from entering the city as soon as next year. There are also plans for France and Britain to ban new petrol and diesel cars by 2040.

Germany has long promoted diesel to help cut carbon dioxide emissions and meet climate change goals, but the country now fears a shift away from the combustion engine could endanger hundreds of thousands of jobs.

READ MORE: VW, Daimler, and BMW funded research that had monkeys and humans inhale diesel fumes