Sales of HDi -Powered Peugeot and Citroën Cars Equipped with the Diesel Particulate Filter Top One Million
The one-millionth car equipped with the diesel particulate filter (DPF) rolled off the PSA Peugeot Citroën assembly line at the end of January. Introduced as a world first in May 2000 on the Peugeot 607, PSA Peugeot Citroën’s patented DPF has been gradually deployed on Peugeot and Citroën models in all segments. Today, it is available on nine model families: the Peugeot 206, 307, 407, 607 and 807, and the Citroën C4, C5, C8 and Xsara Picasso.
The gradual increase in production enabled us to celebrate the 500,000th car fitted with diesel particulate filter systems in June 2003. Since then a marked acceleration of the deployment of the system on the Group’s models means that it has taken only a further 18 months to reach 1 million vehicles fitted with particulate filters. Today, PSA Peugeot Citroën is the only carmaker in the world to mass-market this technology.
Honda President and CEO Takeo Fukui Announces Environmental Initiatives
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. president and CEO Takeo Fukui, speaking at the North American International Auto Show today, announced plans to further advance and expand the use of Honda fuel-efficient technologies including its hybrid technology and Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) system. VCM will be applied to the 2006 Honda Pilot sport-utility vehicle scheduled to debut this fall. VCM deactivates three of the engines six cylinders during cruising, deceleration and other low engine load conditions to reduce fuel consumption. This technology was first introduced in the U.S. in 2004 on the all-new 2005 Odyssey minivan and 2005 Accord Hybrid.
Further, the 2006 Civic will be powered by the newest and most advanced generation of Hondas i-VTEC engine technology to achieve even higher fuel economy and lower emissions. And a new Civic Hybrid will feature enhancements to Hondas IMA hybrid technology to achieve significantly higher fuel economy and performance. The natural gas Civic GX, powered by the cleanest internal combustion engine in the world, will continue to be made in Ohio.
Honda also announced its plans to place a fuel cell vehicle with an individual customer. The company will seek out interested parties to become the first private individual to lease its FCX fuel cell vehicle for regular everyday use. The 2005 FCX is the worlds most advanced fuel cell vehicle and the only FCV to earn certification from the U.S. EPA and Californias Air Resources Board (CARB). It is powered by Hondas originally developed fuel cell stack (Honda FC Stack) with the breakthrough ability to start and operate in below freezing temperatures, along with significantly improved performance, efficiency and range.
