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Light duty diesel vehicles continue to win recognition and market shares in Europe due to their convincing economy, reliability and driveability features. The diesel boom finds a fresh rationale in the CO2 emission legislation to come, however, the competitiveness of diesel cars may be impaired in future in consequence of the progression of the exhaust emission legislation and its impact on vehicle cost. This paper reviews the technologies currently pursued on the side of the engine and its subsystems, as well as the exhaust gas aftertreatment concepts required to satisfy the European legislation. An integral system approach is suggested, aiming at an optimum match of vehicle design parameters, transmission gear and the engine including aftertreatment elements and control.

The modern HSDI Diesel engine has demonstrated a tremendous emissions reduction potential over the recent two decades. European legislative limits required a reduction of gaseous and particulate emissions down to and below 1 - 5 % of the 1970 levels. An additional challenge has now been raised by the ACEA/EU-Parliament agreements to reduce CO2 fleet average values (equivalent to fuel consumption) stepwise down to 140 - 120 and finally to 90 g/km in the New European Drive Cycle (NEDC) test. The paper describes the conflicting requirements for both emissions and fuel consumption reduction. Corresponding engine- and vehicle-sided technologies and measures must be considered in order to arrive at the best possible compromise. It is concluded that, taken the imminent CO2 fleet average reduction requirements as serious, a much higher portion of HSDI Diesel powered passenger cars must be sold to the market.