Mazda has reaffirmed its commitment to diesel, and will introduce a ground-breaking new engine in 2020 as part of ongoing plans to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
Christian Schultze, European R&D chief at Mazda, told Autocar: “We are sticking to diesel engines. In 2020, we have a new approach to diesel. We will show you how clean and very efficient diesel engines can be. We will surprise you.”
While specific details on the ground-breaking diesel are yet to be confirmed, it is rumoured that the OEM will base the technology on its gasoline Skyactiv-X engine. When asked by Autocar about the similarity of the two engines, Schultze said: “there are not so many differences between [gasoline] and diesel.”
Compression ignition and lean-burn combustion are the base technologies for Skyactiv-X, allowing the engine to combine the benefits of gasoline and diesel engines as well as enabling significantly lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. However, it is unclear whether the diesel technology will follow a similar blueprint.
In addition to highlighting diesel’s place within the company’s multi-solution approach, Mazda has unveiled its first production battery electric vehicle. Revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show, the Mazda MX-30 will offer 200km (124 miles) of range thanks to its e-Skyactiv powertrain.