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Most would know that diesel engine exhaust emissions are more dirty compared to petrol engines. Even though diesel engines have gotten progressively cleaner in recent years due to strict emissions standards, the World Health Organisation has announced recently that they have uncovered sufficient evidence to link diesel fumes with cases of cancer in human beings. The World Health Organisation which operates under the United Nations says that diesel fumes are a known cause for lung cancer and can increase the risks of bladder cancer. Carcinogen is the term used for describing any substance that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. As mentioned above, diesel engines are progressively getting cleaner. This is largely attributed to the usage of particulate filters, of more precise direct-injection technologies and also to the widespread use of ultra-low-sulphur diesel in some countries such as the United States. But this is not the case in many developing countries. There are still a lot of vehicles, mostly commercial vehicles, in those countries that use old fashioned diesel engines that use pre-chamber type indirect injection. To complicate the matter, the World Health Organization estimates that these vehicles will take a very long time to be replaced with cleaner ones. Chairman of the working group, Dr. Christopher Portier, explained that the scientific find was rather compelling and the group

A profitable future for automakers usually relies mostly on yielding the best return from their products and technologies and at times these technologies does not come from the automaker themselves. There have been numerous partnerships between two auto firms and usually it is to exchange technologies with each other. Lately, BMW and Toyota have gone down that route. Sometime last month, BMW and Toyota held talks regarding the exchange of technologies that they excel in. Reportedly, BMW will supply their diesel engines to Toyota and in exchange, Toyota will share its hybrid technology with BMW. During the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, both companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a mid to long term collaboration on next-generation environment-friendly technologies. Toyota aims to offer its current line-up with diesel engines especially in Europe where diesel emission tests are very stringent. And also they need to find a source outside of Japan to alleviate the strength of the Yen. BMW is working hard on their i3 concept hybrid and to fund a hybrid technology development will cost a lot of money compared to buying that technology from another company, for this case, Toyota. Toyota will receive access to BMW