Mazda all set to launch world’s first spark-less engine

MUSCAT: Mazda has revealed first details of its new sparkless engine, claiming to be the world’s first compression-ignition petrol engine. Officially dubbed SKYACTIV-X, the company plans on launching the new engine at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.

The new tech, called the Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI), promises unprecedented efficiency. Essentially, Skyactiv-X combines the advantages of gasoline and diesel engines. Just like in diesel engines, Skyactiv-X engines will use extreme compression rather than spark plugs to ignite the fuel mixture. However, engines may use spark plug ignition at low rpm, perhaps to compensate for HCCI’s notoriously difficult timing accuracy. The compression ignition allows for a super lean burn that will improve engine efficiency by 20 to 30 percent over the current Skyactiv technology and between 35 and 45 percent over Mazda’s 2008 gasoline engine of the same displacement. The new SkyactivX will also be supercharged to deliver 10-30 percent more torque over the manufacturer’s current gasoline engines.

According to reports, this new engine reveals at Frankfurt will be followed by a small car concept previewing the redesigned nextgeneration Mazda 3 at the Tokyo Motor Show in October. However, the source states that it is more of a half-generation, as the underlying platform will not undergo major changes. Instead, the body, interior and engine will be completely new. Mazda also claims that the nextgen gasoline engine will match or even exceed the fuel efficiency of the latest Skyactiv-D diesel engine.

TAC is the sole distributor of Mazda range in Oman.