Mazda 6: Long-running family sedan and wagon axed in Australia

The Mazda 6 is finally being retired in Australia, bringing an end to the 22-year history of the mid-sizer.

Production for our market has already ended, though Mazda says there’s “healthy supply” across the entire Mazda 6 lineup at its dealerships nationwide.

The axing comes as Australian Design Rule 98/00 comes into effect, mandating autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems that meet specific technical requirements across all new vehicles on sale.

Mazda had confirmed its mid-sized sedan and wagon, despite coming standard with AEB, hadn’t been certified to ADR 98/00.

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However, the Mazda 6 already appeared to be on borrowed time anyway, as its pool of rivals has continued to drain.

Mazda had already axed its mid-sizer in the US and Canada in 2021, in the UK in 2023, and in China and Japan in 2024, leaving it available only in a handful of markets across Europe, Asia and Africa.

The current, third-generation model debuted here all the way back in 2012, though it has received multiple updates since then, most recently in 2023 when wireless Apple CarPlay and the semi-autonomous Cruising and Traffic Support system became available.

A rumoured successor on the new rear/all-wheel drive Large Architecture never eventuated, while the new EZ-6/6e sedan – developed by Chinese joint-venture partner Changan, and offering either electric or range-extender powertrains – has yet to be locked in for an Australian launch.

Mazda Australia has said only that it’s shifting its focus to “further improving its multi-solution strategy”, referring to its continued availability of combustion engines, including with mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid systems.

“We owe a lot to Mazda6 in helping to make the Mazda brand what it is today,” said Mazda Australia managing director Vinesh Bhindi.

“Coinciding with the origins of our Zoom Zoom philosophy, its local introduction in 2002 contributed to a paradigm shift for the brand, and it immediately became widely praised as the benchmark for front-wheel drive dynamics and involvement

“As we bid a fond farewell to the Mazda6, its legacy will continue to live on as we move into the next phase of our future strategy.”

Mazda Australia has sold almost 150,000 examples of the 6 across three generations since launching it in 2002.

In its best year, 2005, Mazda sold 14,783 examples. But as SUVs continued to grow in popularity, Mazda 6 sales dropped below 10,000 annual units in 2009 and then below 5000 units in 2016.

Last year, Mazda sold just 1354 examples of the mid-sized sedan and wagon.

While this was well down on its tallies a decade or two ago, it was still enough to make it the third best-selling vehicle in its VFACTS segment behind the dominant Toyota Camry (15,401 sales) and BYD Seal (6393).

Mazda is the latest brand to exit the mid-sized passenger car segment in Australia.

The Ford Mondeo, Kia Optima and Subaru Liberty were retired in 2020, the Volkswagen Passat and Arteon in 2023, and the Peugeot 508 in 2024.

Most of those models, or their successors, live on in other markets with the exception of the Liberty and Arteon. SUVs have continued to grow in popularity globally, but there are still a handful of markets relatively friendly to mid-sized passenger cars including China and South Korea.

The demise of the Mazda 6 will leave just five cars in what the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) calls the medium cars under $60,000 segment.

These are the aforementioned Seal and Camry, as well as the Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata and Skoda Octavia. Of these, only the Octavia offers a wagon body style like the Mazda 6.

Step up to the premium mid-sized segment in Australia and there are more options, including the popular Tesla Model 3.

Last year, a total of 24,740 vehicles from the medium under $60,000 segment were delivered to customers against 31,843 vehicles from the medium over $60,000 segment.

The Tesla Model 3 and Toyota Camry alone accounted for 57 per cent of the combined total.

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