Mercedes-Benz has announced that, from October this year, it will be the first carmaker in the world to offer customers a combination of EU 4 exhaust emission standard and diesel particulate filter-equipped diesel cars.

The combination will at first be available for the C- and E-class models with four-cylinder CDI engines, with the six-cylinder E- and S-class CDI engines to follow early in 2004.

Around 85 per cent of C-class and half of E-class diesel customers have chosen the 200 and 220 CDI engines.

The Mercedes-Benz particulate filter system does not require additives, and so remains efficient over a very high mileage.

Mercedes car group head Jurgen Hubbert told Just-auto.com that 'this makes us the first manufacturer to offer a system which both adheres to the EU 4 limits and almost completely eliminates particulate emissions - and does so with our most important diesel engines, the ones which dominate fleet business.'

Diesel remains a popular fuel among private customers for reasons of economy, but increasingly tough emissions regulations in all major markets mean that diesel catalytic converters and filters, which require platinum to operate, are in increasing demand.