An innovative development in diesel engine cold-start technology could help automakers meet increasingly stringent exhaust emissions targets, according to a report in WardsAuto.com. Germany-based automotive supplier Beru AG claims its smart pressure sensor glow plug (PSG) represents a "quantum leap" in diesel cold-start technology, and will reduced emissions enough to meet new, stringent requirements in the U.S. Beru says that by combining the glow plug with modern high-performance electronics in its diesel ISS (Instant Start System), it has made low-emission cold starts possible even at very low temperatures. "The latest EU (European Union) and U.S. exhaust legislation requires emissions of particles and NOx to be reduced by up to 90%,” a spokesman for the company told Ward’s. “With modern particulate filter systems, achieving this goal seems feasible. But current emissions treatment measures are not sufficient to meet the NOx targets, and an engine's raw emissions must also be noticeably improved for these targets to be achieved.” Diesels accounted for more than 43% of new registrations in Western Europe in 2003, and some European analysts predict that could rise to 57% in the next few years.