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Diesel engines belong to the most efficient power sources for any kind of on-road vehicle, but especially in Europe increasingly for passenger cars. However, more stringent exhaust emission regulations, which will come into force world-wide in industrialised countries during the first decade of the next century will require NOx and particulate emissions to be reduced by up to 60% and more from today's levels. To meet these future emission standards particularly for heavier passenger vehicles, such as SUVs, Pickup Trucks and Light Commercial Vehicles, as well as for heavy luxury class passenger cars, the application of new technologies including advanced exhaust gas aftertreatment systems will be indispensable, especially in view of maintaining the thermal efficiency of diesel engines relative to gasoline engines.

Despite the increasingly stringent emissions legislation, users and owners of commercial diesel vehicles are continually demanding that each new engine generation is more economical than the previous one. This is especially important for commercial vehicles where the majority of engines are in the 1-2ltr./cyl. class. The demands are being reflected in new engine designs with lower friction and improved structural stiffness, together with fuel systems having increased pressure capability, higher spill rates, injection rate shaping and advanced control features. These fuel system requirements have led to a variety of new fuel injection systems and in the search for increased injection pressure these fuel systems have placed greater demands on the engine, especially in areas such as the cylinder head and fuel system drive, sometimes with adverse effects on the combustion and fuel injection system induced mechanical noise.