Resumen del autor, extraído del trabajo. In order to meet future European air quality targets, the EU Commission has enforced a variety of measures affecting automotive and oil industry as well. Both industries are presently engaged in the development of adequate solutions. One of the main challenge for the oil industry results from the new target of sulphur content in fuels whereas development and implementation of aftertreatment technologies plays a key role for the automotive industry. In the course of most recent developments - especially on catalysts with NOx storage ability - the car industry demands fuel sulphur contents much lower that layed down in the EU Commission&#x92;s Fuel Directive for 2000 and 2005, respectively. In reaction to these demands a program was initiated aimed at the exploration of available technics to produce &#x84;sulphurfree&#x93; Diesel fuels. For this purpose hydrogenation pilot plant operated at the VEBA OEL R&D-department were used for experiments with conventional middle distillate feedstocks as presently utilized in diesel fuel production. The required degree of desulfurization was achieved by increases of the reactor temperatures as well as via prolongation of reaction time. The processed components were used to blend two &#x84;sulphurfree (< 10ppm)&#x93; and two &#x84;low sulphur (< 50 ppm)&#x93; Diesel fuels in accordance with the EN 590 standard as in charge from January 2000. Analysis of feedstocks and fuels covered their chemical composition and typical fuel parameters such as density, boiling range, viscosity, cloud point, CFPP, Cetane Number and Index, lubricity etc. The so derived fuels were used for exhaust emission measurements of regulated pollutants with a conventional Diesel passenger car on a chassis dynamometer. It was equipped with a 4-cylinder engine with 1600 cm3 displacement and prechamber injection. Samples of market Diesel fuel as well as City Diesel fuel were also tested for reasons of comparison. Emission test results (CO, HC, NOx and PM) have been correlated versus sulphur and polyaromatic content of the fuels. The influence of both fuel parameters on the emission level was found to be relatively small for the investigated vehicle/engine system.