---
title: "This Video Shows Exactly How Mazda’s ‘Revolutionary’ New Skyactiv-X Engine Works"
description: "Mazda is promising the power and economy of diesel and the performance and emissions of gasoline, all in one supercharged package."
date: "2017-10-26"
modified: "2017-10-26"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/15471/this-video-shows-exactly-how-mazdas-revolutionary-new-skyactiv-x-engine-works"
categories:
  - "Mazda News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "Diesel"
  - "emissions"
  - "gasoline"
  - "mazda"
  - "skyactiv-x"
  - "Tokyo Motor Show"
---

# This Video Shows Exactly How Mazda’s ‘Revolutionary’ New Skyactiv-X Engine Works

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/10/mazda-engine.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

The Tokyo Motor Show [has brought us several delights](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/15446/new-subaru-concept-could-presage-new-wrx>) from the Land of the Rising Sun, but none are quite as intriguing (or ambitious) as [Mazda's new Skyactiv-X engine architecture.](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/13307/mazdas-skyactiv-x-will-be-a-supercharged-gas-engine-with-the-benefits-of-diesel>) The "revolutionary" new powerplant promises to provide both the torque and fuel economy of a diesel and the performance and emissions of a regular gas engine, all while saving internal combustion power from the [executioner's electric sword.](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/14802/gm-going-all-in-on-electric-working-to-ready-20-new-cars-by-2023>) But how will it work exactly?

[Mazda](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/15473/mazda-reaffirms-next-rx-sports-car-in-development-but-delayed>) claims to have finally perfected their own version of homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI), which has been something of a white whale for many automakers in recent years. At the risk of over-explaining, gasoline engines work by using a spark plug to ignite a mixture of fuel and air, while diesel engines compress the air in a cylinder *before* adding fuel, which then spontaneously ignites.

One of the key differences is that a gas engine's spark plug is a single source of ignition within a cylinder, while the compressed air in a diesel ignites at multiple points throughout the chamber. Compression ignition requires less fuel and burns quickly and completely, so bringing that technology to life in a gasoline engine should theoretically bring all the benefits of a diesel [without all those problematic emissions.](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/10364/report-says-excess-diesel-emissions-caused-38000-premature-deaths>)

https://youtube.com/embed/RBlBrxT-Xy4

Sounds great, right? The problem is that the window where compression ignition is possible with regular gasoline is incredibly small, and so many different elements have to be controlled for it to work correctly. It's used by a lot of Formula 1 teams thanks to its incredible potential, though neither 2017 champion [Mercedes-AMG](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/14286/mercedes-amgs-f1-engine-has-cracked-50-percent-thermal-efficiency-report-says>) nor runner-up [Ferrari](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/9439/listen-to-the-evolution-of-ferraris-formula-1-engines>) employ it in their engines. But Mazda's approach is unique, utilizing a small spark plug to help initiate the compression ignition sequence, a feature than can activate or deactivate based on engine demands (in other words, your right foot).

Combined with a supercharger, this new take, dubbed Spark Controlled Compression Igntion (SPCCI), promises 30 percent more torque, a 20 percent improvement in fuel economy, and sharper response overall compared to the company's 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G gas engine. We'll have to wait until the 2020 Mazda3 to see its first real-world application, but in the meantime, [head over to Mazda's website](<https://insidemazda.mazdausa.com/press-release/mazda-next-generation-technology-press-information/>) for a much more detailed explanation.

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)