Honda Motor Company announced today that it has developed a new diesel powerplant that meets U.S. Tier II Bin 5 emissions requirements. Further, the company promises that it will begin limited marketing of a new fuel cell vehicle in 2008.

Honda claims that its new diesel lowers exhaust gas emissions to the point that it’s equivalent to a gasoline engine. That means it will meet California’s ultra-stringent 2009 emissions standards. The new engine, to be released in three years, utilizes a special dual-layer catalytic converter that detoxifies nitrogen oxide (NOx), turning it into nitrogen (N2). The emissions control device has been developed to work with Honda’s 2.2 i-CTDi diesel, which has been used in the European-market Accord since 2003. Honda also optimized the combustion chamber configuration, improved the overall efficiency of the exhaust gas recirculation system, and used a common-rail injector system to reduce fuel injection time. All this, while improving the engine’s power output.

Honda has also revisited its show-stopping FCX fuel cell vehicle (above), and recently let a small group of journalists drive the car. In its new state-of-tune, the FCX boasts an improved fuel cell that’s 20-percent smaller and 30-percent lighter than its previous iteration. With a range of 356 miles, the snub-nosed concept will spawn an all-new fuel cell vehicle that Honda promises “limited marketing