Photo: CarPix
You often hear people saying internal combustion will soon be a thing of the past, in a similar fashion to how the horse became obsolete because of the automobile. Even though high-ranking executives in the automotive industry believe that internal combustion is still here to stay, the ICE is finding it increasingly harder to justify itself in the face of electrification.
Be it turbocharging, direct injection, variable valve timing, and so forth, it’s obvious technological advances in this domain are somewhat stagnant. And as everyone braces for the electric revolution started by Tesla and the likes of the Nissan Leaf, it’s clear that hard times are coming for the ICE.
But Mazda doesn’t case, because Mazda is Mazda, doing things in its own special way. From the company that brought the rotary engine into the mainstream, and keeps it alive with the SkyActiv-R, the most brilliant minds at Mazda came together to create the next big thing in terms of internal combustion. And that is SkyActiv-X, a 2.0-liter gasoline engine.
What sets SkyActiv-X apart from the SkyActiv-G and any other inline-four cylinder is the following line: “world’s first commercial gasoline engine to use compression ignition.” So to speak, Mazda’s engineers took the advantages of a diesel engine, only to combine them with those of a gasoline-fueled engine.
The super lean burn improves efficiency by up to 30 percent compared to the 2.0-liter SkyActiv-G, and the environmentally-friendly nature of the SkyActiv-X is further complemented by improvements in power, torque, acceleration, and throttle response. Think of it as a Holy Grail of sorts.
Scheduled to premiere in 2019 with the next-generation Mazda3, the revolutionary powerplant also serves as the basis for the automaker’s next-generation hybrid system. The eco-friendly powertrain is planned to go official in 2019, together with a BEV with and without a range extender.
Speaking to Automotive News, chief executive of Mazda North American Operations, Masahiro Moro, highlighted that SkyActiv-X is an “important base engine to add electrification.” Masahiro Moro further told the motoring publication that Mazda’s engineers “will enjoy another new challenge to make an EV to be a true Mazda with driving performance.”
As a brief refresher, the Spark Controlled Compression Ignition of SkyActiv-X is a different approach to the compression ignition we know from diesel engines. The four-cylinder motor continues to use spark plugs, but it's the compression that ignites the air-fuel mixture in the cylinders.
But Mazda doesn’t case, because Mazda is Mazda, doing things in its own special way. From the company that brought the rotary engine into the mainstream, and keeps it alive with the SkyActiv-R, the most brilliant minds at Mazda came together to create the next big thing in terms of internal combustion. And that is SkyActiv-X, a 2.0-liter gasoline engine.
What sets SkyActiv-X apart from the SkyActiv-G and any other inline-four cylinder is the following line: “world’s first commercial gasoline engine to use compression ignition.” So to speak, Mazda’s engineers took the advantages of a diesel engine, only to combine them with those of a gasoline-fueled engine.
The super lean burn improves efficiency by up to 30 percent compared to the 2.0-liter SkyActiv-G, and the environmentally-friendly nature of the SkyActiv-X is further complemented by improvements in power, torque, acceleration, and throttle response. Think of it as a Holy Grail of sorts.
Scheduled to premiere in 2019 with the next-generation Mazda3, the revolutionary powerplant also serves as the basis for the automaker’s next-generation hybrid system. The eco-friendly powertrain is planned to go official in 2019, together with a BEV with and without a range extender.
Speaking to Automotive News, chief executive of Mazda North American Operations, Masahiro Moro, highlighted that SkyActiv-X is an “important base engine to add electrification.” Masahiro Moro further told the motoring publication that Mazda’s engineers “will enjoy another new challenge to make an EV to be a true Mazda with driving performance.”
As a brief refresher, the Spark Controlled Compression Ignition of SkyActiv-X is a different approach to the compression ignition we know from diesel engines. The four-cylinder motor continues to use spark plugs, but it's the compression that ignites the air-fuel mixture in the cylinders.
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