It will be ‘D-Day’ for Chevrolet at this year’s Bologna Motor Show (December 7-17) as the company takes the wraps off its first ever diesel engined car for the UK.

Set to go on sale in the first half of 2007 and distinguished by a new, chrome finished radiator grille, the new Lacetti TCDi comes with an all-new 2.0-litre common rail turbodiesel engine, developing 121PS at 3,800rpm and 280Nm of torque at 2,000rpm.

The new engine features the latest Bosch-developed common-rail injection system, which injects fuel directly into the combustion chambers at a pressure of up to 1,600 bar, while a lightweight alloy cylinder head and a balancer shaft help aid refinement and responsiveness.

Delivering impressive performance and fuel economy, the lively TCDi engine allows the car to accelerate from 0-62mph in just 9.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 117mph, returning a combined fuel economy figure of 58.8mpg in the Lacetti five-door hatchback and 52.3mpg in the larger Lacetti Station Wagon.

The Euro IV compliant unit also offers impressively low carbon dioxide emissions, with a CO2 figure of just 149g/km for the five-door hatch and 158g/km for the Wagon, meaning the newcomer will appeal as much to fleets as it will to cost-conscious private buyers.

Prices and trim levels will be announced nearer to the new models’ on sale date in 2007. But one thing’s for sure – the diesel variants will add even more appeal to the great value Lacetti line-up, over 160,000 of which have been sold across Europe since its introduction in 2003.