At the event in London – which will also showcase the latest low emission diesel technology – SMMT executives will make the point that latest Euro 6 standard diesels are 95% cleaner than older vehicles – and urge policy makers to rethink their stances and actively support the uptake of new, low-emission diesel commercial vehicles.
The message: diesel is not a dirty word, and government and local councils need to understand the "vital role" that modern diesel vehicles can play in reducing emissions – and cleaning up Britain's air – if only older vans and trucks were retired earlier in favour of newer vehicles.
Despite the benefits, and the fact that Euro 6 technology has been an EU requirement for heavy-duty vehicles since the beginning of 2014, less than three-quarters of commercial vehicles and just a fifth of buses registered in the UK last year were fitted with it, says SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes.
In the case of buses, that is because of what Hawes describes as a loophole that allows bus operators in the UK to specify older engine technologies for their fleets.
By closing this loophole, he insists, and supporting the uptake of the latest Euro-6 buses, government and local councils have the opportunity to reduce pollution dramatically – and avoid paying hundreds of millions of pounds in fines that will be levied by the EU if air quality obligations are not met.
"Industry shares public concerns about air quality, and is responding by investing billions of pounds in advanced diesel commercial vehicles that are 95% cleaner than their predecessors," states Hawes.
"However, while modern diesel technology can make a vital contribution to cleaning up the air we all breathe, it cannot do the job on its own," he continues.
"The key now is uptake. It's time to stop demonising diesel, and for all stakeholders to engage on this issue."
Hawes is now urging government and local councils to work together with industry and operators to encourage widespread adoption of the latest diesel technology.
"We hope today's debate will mark the start of that dialogue," he says.
SMMT's evidence is clear. The UK's 4.4 million commercial vehicles and buses – 99% of which are diesel – are fundamental to the economy. Between them, in 2014 they transported people and essential goods, and delivered emergency services across 61 billion miles. Buses, meanwhile, carried commuters on more than 5.2 billion journeys.
Speaking at the debate will be John Hayes MP, minister of state for transport; Mike Hawes; Doug Parr, chief scientist with Greenpeace; and representatives from local transport authorities in London, Manchester and Scotland.
As a backdrop to this conference – and underlining the urgency of rethinking modern diesel's contribution – the European Commission has stated that, if fully adopted, the latest Euro 6 compliant vehicles will deliver on air quality targets by 2020.