Confirmed that the current Fit exceeds Euro 4 emission requirements and meets Euro 5 (with the latest 2006 JDM updates).

Euro 3 emission requirements have just come into place for petrol vehicles in Australia 1 Jan '06 (a year behind Europe) with Euro 4 requirements taking effect in 2008. Euro 5 standards will hopefully be adopted by 2010.

Euro 3 - 0.2 HC g/km 2.3 CO g/km 0.15 NOx g/km
Euro 4 - 0.1 HC g/km 1.0 CO g/km 0.08 NOx g/km
Euro 5 - 0.075 HC g/km 0.? CO g/km 0.06 NOx g/km

The air quality in Sydney has visibly improved since the progressive introduction of tighter emissions controls since 2000 and the move from ADRs through Euro 2, 3 and now 4.

Diesel emission requirements came into effect years prior to those for petrol preventing many manufacturers from releasing diesel models into the Australian market which didn't meet emission standards in time. Pretty much only common rail diesels can meet the requirements without expensive particle filters.

There are no US Tier 1 style exemptions.

In my reading of the US standards and particularly those for California I found it difficult to do a comparison. Could someone more familiar with the current and future US standards provide a comparison to the Euro standards? I also understand the 3 tonne+ SUVs are pretty much exempt from everything in the US.

 

I have spent countless hours online looking for the exact comparison info you describe - a comprehensive charting of Euro vs. US specs - the closest I've come is a worldwide diesel commercial vehicle emissions compliance publication -
If anyone else knows the where about's of such a publication I'd like to know too!

 

I believe that the Euro 5 standard is similar to ULEV Level-2 in the USA and the Japanese 2010 standard. That tells me Honda at least got the L15A VTEC engine on the Fit to meet ULEV Level-1 standard.