COMMON rail diesel engine technology is tipped to make its debut as an option in Citroen's van range in the second half of this year, the most likely earliest candidate for a high-pressure direct-injection transplant being the Dispatch. Parent company PSA's 2.0-litre HDI engine appeared first in the Citroen Xantia in November and is to be introduced in Peugeot's 406 from January 1.

Citroen UK was unable to confirm when HDI was scheduled to be injected into its LCVs, but both manufacturers have stated they are committed to spreading common rail HDI engines in their car and van ranges. Peugeot is similarly understood to be preparing its LCVs for common rail towards the third quarter of the year, the Expert being the obvious front runner.