The European Union has unveiled its newest emissions standards to a flurry of criticism from both environmentalists and motor industry experts.

Euro V rules are aimed to reduce the major pollutants in fine particle emissions from vans by up to 90 per cent, while diesel cars will be limited to five milligrams per kilometre, down from 20mg/km under the previous regulations.

The new laws are due to come into force in 2008, but a number of European environmental groups have complained that this will leave the EU lagging behind the US, where harsher restrictions are planned to come into force in 2007.

Meanwhile, automaker PSA Peugeot-Citroen has claimed that the regulations will make diesel vehicles so costly to build that they will become uneconomical for consumers, potentially killing off the diesel engine's recent resurgence.

According to the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP), PSA is already unhappy with current requirements for diesel vehicles under Euro IV regulations, because of the increased costs involved, and believes that the new standards will only force those costs up further.

Tax breaks in the US have helped diesels remain competitive in the country, due to the US government's attempts to get more people using cleaner vehicles, but the EU does not currently employ a similar system and therefore manufacturers are concerned that the new rules could have a negative impact on diesel sales.


Ÿ Adfero Ltd