Toyota will offer its Avensis with a diesel particulate filter by early next year. It is also likely Toyota will provide soot filters on its low-end diesel models in Germany and neighbouring markets because consumers there demand them.
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“We are studying diesel particulate filters since we have noticed the recent environmental awareness in Europe concerning particulate emissions,” Masao Suzuki, Toyota’s project manager for new engine development, told Automotive News Europe.
In the past, Toyota touted its D-CAT (Diesel Clean Advanced Technology) emissions control system – which it says needs no particulate filter – as the best solution for reducing nitrogen oxide and particulate matter. But the D-CAT system is an expensive solution and Toyota now says it is reserving it for its premium diesel models.
By offering particulate filters on the upper-medium segment Avensis, Toyota is responding to consumer concerns about rising levels of fine particulates in cities. Buyers in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands are demanding diesel cars with filters. This follows German media reports that said cities such as Berlin and Munich would breach EU air pollution rules this year on the amount of fine particulates (smaller than 10 microns) in the air.
The Avensis goes on sale next month with Toyota’s new Polish diesel engine.
The 2.2-liter, 177hp variant will be sold with a standard D-CAT system. The 2.2-liter, 150hp variant will be sold without a D-CAT system or a particulate filter, but will be offered with a filter early next year, said a Toyota source.
Austria and the Netherlands already have incentives for new cars with soot filters and other EU member countries are expected to follow suit.
