Rhodia Eolys additive chosen by PSA Peugeot-Citroen, Ford

2 October 2002

During the recent Paris Auto Show, Rhodia announced the selection of its new generation, fuel-borne catalyst Eolys™ by Peugeot Citroën Group and Ford Motor Europe, two important players in the market for diesel powered vehicles.

Starting at the end of 2002, the new generation Eolys additive will gradually be used on the entire range of diesel vehicles manufactured by the PSA Peugeot Citroën Group equipped with particulate filters. PSA anticipates that the number of vehicles fitted with this system will rise from an annual total of 270,000 in 2002 to 1 million by 2005.

Ford Motor Co. was said to have decided to adopt this new-generation catalyst in the near future, but no details were given.

The total market for diesel powered passenger cars in Europe represents potential sales in the region of 4 million units per year, said Rhodia.

Eolys is a cerium-based fuel additive, commercially introduced in 2000 on Peugeot 607 cars, designed to support the regeneration of diesel particulate filters. As the Peugeot particulate filter system was gradually introduced on more models, the number of cars equipped with the system and utilizing the Eolys additive exceeded 250,000. According to Rhodia, the second generation Eolys additive offers an overall reduction in the cost of the pollution control system, simplified maintenance and greater reliability.

Source: Rhodia