Opel Insignia to debut HCCI sparkless technology

It appears General Motors will be the first manufacturer to use HCCI technology in its vehicles, with new reports claiming the revolutionary technology will first appear in the recently revealed Opel Insignia. GM has been running tests of the efficient powertrain in a number of Opel Vectra and Saturn Aura prototypes (the predecessor to the Insignia) and soon the latest Insignia will become the first production car to be equipped with HCCI technology.

HCCI works by achieving combustion through compression of the air-fuel mix rather than using a spark plug. This is similar to how a diesel works, but now the technology is being applied to petrol engines and is already showing 15% improvements in fuel efficiency.

Thanks to GM's advances in the technology, the HCCI system can be used while idling and up to speeds of 55mph, but at speeds greater than this or when more vigorous acceleration is required a traditional spark-plug system will be used.

While the upcoming Insignia will be the first GM vehicle to use the technology, other products should follow, reports AutoExpress. If combined with other fuel-saving technologies, such as low-resistance tires and hybrid systems, the savings from HCCI could add up to be very significant.

Opel Insignia Coupe and Estate renderings

2009 Opel Insignia sedan