A NEW range of diesel engines will soon be putting higher power under the bonnets of Britain's business cars.

Created under a £1 billion development programme, the next-generation units also promise to slash the operating costs of 37 different high-volume fleet models sold across Europe by PSA Peugeot Citroen and Ford by the end of 2005.

But officials from the car firms refused to give details about the roll-out of their pacesetting turbodiesels when the 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre HDi and Duratorq TDCi motors were unveiled in Paris.

Fleet NewsNet understands that Peugeot intends to start fitting the advanced power units to its model range later this year and Citroen is likely to launch them next year in its replacement Xsara and revised C5 models.

Ford, which only recently launched its belated new common-rail diesels in the Focus and Mondeo, looks likely to use the collaborative engines when the new Focus appears in 2005.

The new motors will be built mainly at Tremery, the world's biggest diesel engine manufacturing facility operated by PSA in eastern France.