Mercedes joins German rivals with €2,000 discount on cleaner cars

Mercedes-Benz Ireland is the latest German firm to offer a €2,000 discount off its low-emissions vehicles to those trading in a car with an engine that only meets EU Euro 4 emissions standards or less. These are passenger car engines built before September 2009.

The move follows the so-called "diesel summit" earlier this month where the bosses from Germany's three biggest car firms, VW Group, BMW and Daimler, met with politicians to try to repair the damaged reputation of diesel engines and respond to claims that they were partly responsible for flawed testing regimes that meant cars were emitting far more harmful emissions than what was recorded during official tests.

Initially started with the VW Group’s admission it fitted cheat devices to its cars to deceive US emissions tests, the scandal has spread across the motor industry as further independent tests revealed the extent to which diesel engines vastly exceed emissions standards in everyday motoring.

The move follows similar announcements and discounts for Irish motorists offered by BMW and VW Group brands.