In this paper, a receding horizon D-optimization approach for model identification oriented input design is proposed, and a practical application is demonstrated for internal combustion engines. The proposed approach consists of a recursive parameter identification algorithm and an input signal design algorithm; where the latter provides D-optimal excitation signal for the adaptation of the parameter estimation in the following identification phase. The D-optimization algorithm is constructed with the Continuation/GMRES method, which provides an approximate solution according to the current parameter of the model. To validate effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed approach, testing results applying the proposed approach to an internal combustion engine are demonstrated and conducted on a full-scale engine test bench. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.