India is the latest major country to join the clamour for increasingly stringent emissions restrictions, after the publication of a new report from the Tata Energy and Resources Institute.

The Institute said that the government should focus on the development of capacity to produce low sulphur diesel and the introduction of mandatory particulate filters.

Entitled 'Fuel Choices for Transport and the Environment', the report identified ultra-low sulphur diesel (ULSD) with a maximum 50 parts per million sulphur content as the best route forward.

The report suggested that focussing on the diesel sector would be more beneficial and practical than the introduction of hybrid cars or electric vehicles, because of the demands for a new infrastructure to service any new vehicles.

It was a similar story in Singapore, where the National Environment Assembly has introduced new rules to try to combat automotive pollution.

All new diesel vehicles registered in the country from October 2006 will be required to adopt the Euro IV emission standard, with the government also introducing an incentive to encourage an early switch from Euro II diesel vehicles to Euro IV compliant ones.

Euro IV diesel buses and commercial vehicles will be exempted from paying the Additional Registration Fee (currently at five per cent of open market value) until September 2006.

Increasing severity of emissions legislation implies a rise in demand for platinum group metal autocatalysts to control harmful emissions.