Honda Accord

Next year’s all-new Honda Accord won’t only look futuristic – it will also feature one of the world’s most advanced diesel engines.

When it arrives here in summer, the family model will be the first car to have the firm’s innovative i-DTEC motor, which replaces the current 2.2-litre i-CTDi oil-burner.

The new unit, the second generation of the Japanese brand’s diesel technology, features a number of advances. These include revamped internals and a particulate filter to improve cleanliness and efficiency.

The engine was unveiled at this week’s Tokyo Motor Show, alongside its eventual replacement – the advanced super-clean i-DTEC, which exceeds Euro VI emissions standards.

And when this motor arrives in production cars in the next three years, it will be able to provide even lower emissions and superior fuel consumption. Diesels traditionally produce less carbon dioxide than petrols – but more nitrogen oxide (NOx). Yet the Super-Clean oil-burner has a clever catalytic converter that removes up to 99 per cent of the harmful emissions.

As a result, it combines the low CO2 output of a diesel with the reduced NOx outputs usually associated with a petrol motor.