Mazda claims new SKYACTIV-X petrol engine 'up to 30 per cent more efficient'

Mazda Motor Corporation has announced plans to introduce a next-generation engine which it claims will be the world's first commercial petrol engine to use compression ignition.

The SKYACTIV-X, due to launch in 2019, is part of the company’s efforts to perfect the internal combustion engine and combine the results with effective electrification technologies.

According to Mazda, a proprietary combustion method called Spark Controlled Compression Ignition overcomes two issues that had impeded commercialisation of compression ignition gasoline (petrol) engines: maximising the zone in which compression ignition is possible and achieving a seamless transition between compression ignition and spark ignition.

Mazda claims its new petrol engine is up to 30 per cent more efficient, and has no plans to supply the engine to other manufacturers.

As part of its ‘Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030’ policy announced yesterday, Mazda plans to start introducing electric vehicles in 2019 in regions that use a high ratio of clean energy for power generation or restrict certain vehicles to reduce air pollution. In addition, it said it aimed to make autonomous-driving technology standard in all of its models by 2025.

Mazda's approach aims to reduce corporate average "well-to-wheel" carbon dioxide emissions to 50 percent of 2010 levels by 2030, and achieve a 90-percent reduction by 2050. It expects to achieve this with a policy which prioritises efficiency improvements and measures for cleaner emissions that apply in the real world.