Introduction The origin of the internal combustion engine dates back to 1860 when Jean-Joseph Etienne Lenoir developed a gas engine. This was followed by Nikolaus Otto's invention in 1876 of the Otto cycle engine@ which is the fundamental concept of current engines. The development of Rudolph Diesel's engine in 1893 helped accelerate the industrial revolution as the primary power source during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Progress in the development of the internal combustion engine has become the driving force for the development of the automobile@ fulfilling the human appetite for mobility. Mass production since the early 20th century has made automobiles an affordable purchase for many in the consumer market. In the late 20th century@ the automotive market expanded worldwide. Consumption of fossil fuels@ namely coal and petroleum@ has rapidly expanded worldwide with the economic development and infrastructure advancements in many countries. Most of these countries have experienced health hazards related to automotive emission@ such as photochemical smog@ which was first identified in Los Angeles in the 1950s. The scientific community has repeatedly issued an alarm that continued consumption of huge amounts of fossil fuels will result in global warming with serious implications on the environment. Under such circumstances@ technology to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions has become the top priority to minimize environmental impact by automobiles. The auto industry has responded to this requirement by developing advanced engines and vehicles with high efficiency and low emissions such as super clean diesel engines@ hybrid electric powertrains@ fuel cell vehicles@ and vehicles with alternative fuels from biomass. In fact@ the concentrations of some pollutants in exhaust gas from recent advanced vehicles@ called Super-Ultra-Low- Emission Vehicles@ can be lower than those in ambient air. In the process of establishing new energy-efficient emission-reduction technologies during the past half a century@ analytical instruments for emission measurement have provided essential research and development support@ and become fundamental tools. Requirements for future analytical instruments are anticipated to be even more sophisticated and diversified with the continued progress of automotive technologies.