Mazda recently revealed an electric spiritual successor to its Mazda 6, and its local arm hasn’t ruled out the possibility of bringing it here.
The Mazda 6 was officially axed in Australia after 22 years on sale in January this year, following the same decision made for the North American market in 2021, the UK in 2023, and China and Japan in 2024.
China and Europe didn’t have to wait long for word on a replacement, as the Japanese brand revealed its EZ-6 and 6e electric vehicles (EVs) for each respective market in 2024.
They’re the same basic vehicle, closely related to the Deepal L07 and developed and built by the Changan Mazda joint venture.
While nothing has been confirmed for showrooms Down Under, Mazda Australia managing director Vinesh Bhindi told CarExpert a new electric Mazda 6 could make its way here if a need is identified.
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Mazda EZ-6
“There is a Mazda EZ-6 in China that was developed for China with our partner there, so that’s on offer, and more recently Mazda 6e is being flagged for Europe,” he said.
“At the same time, Mazda Corporation has confirmed that they’re looking at and studying other overseas markets. If that is including us and and if it makes sense, of course we would be very interested in looking at a business case.
“As you can see, when it comes to battery EV option as a powertrain in Australia, the growth has really stagnated in that part, regardless of the segment. It will accelerate at some point, it will grow, but it’ll take time so we’ll let that mature.
“Our business strategy is that we will meet the consumer demand. If there is an appetite for that sort of vehicle and that sort of powertrain, we will do our hardest to bring it to market.”
Mazda’s new battery-powered mid-sizer could prove to be an enticing proposition for Australia given the popularity of models like the BYD Seal in our market.
As it’s being introduced in the UK, the Mazda 6e will be built in right-hand drive.
The export version of the EZ-6 was revealed in the UK late last year ahead of a market launch later this year, and has been confirmed to be “under study for overseas markets”.
Preliminary details have been confirmed including two batteries of either lithium iron phosphate or nickel manganese cobalt construction, driving range of between 478km and 552km on the WLTP cycle, and a single rear-mounted electric motor with both batteries.
The Mazda EZ-6, meanwhile, was revealed in China in early 2024 and went on sale later in the same year.
It’s nearly identical to the 6e but differs with its inclusion of an available range-extender (EREV) powertrain, incorporating a petrol engine which can be used to charge the battery.
Three all-electric variants are offered, along with two EREVs. Inside is a 14.6-inch central infotainment display, a 50-inch augmented reality head-up display, a 14-speaker Sony-branded sound system, and a full glass roof.
At 4921mm long, 1890mm wide and 1485mm tall, the EZ-6 is 56mm longer, 50mm narrower, and 35mm taller than the current Mazda 6 sedan.
If either model did launch in Australia, it would be Mazda’s answer to the ever-popular Tesla Model 3 – our best-selling electric sedan with 17,094 deliveries in 2024.
It would also be Mazda’s first new mid-sizer in over a decade.
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Mazda 6
The current, third-generation Mazda 6 debuted here in 2012 and has received multiple updates since then, most recently in 2023 when wireless Apple CarPlay and the semi-autonomous Cruising and Traffic Support system were added.
It was finally axed as a result of Australian Design Rule 98/00, which mandates autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems meeting specific technical requirements across all new vehicles on sale.
Despite coming standard with AEB, the mid-sized sedan and wagon hadn’t been certified to ADR 98/00. A case for the model had also become decreasingly convincing, as sales for combustion-powered mid-sized passenger cars have continued to decline and various brands have exited the segment.
“Mazda 6 has been with us for a long time, but that segment has been declining, and probably some years ago that was our number one model offering in Australia in the Mazda portfolio,” Mr Bhindi said.
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Mazda 6
“But that segment has continued to decline; not just in Australia, but in many parts of the globe. So the US, Europe, decided that Mazda 6 wasn’t going to be on offer, and it came to a point where when we looked at the business case, it was time for us to also bow out.”
Indeed, the Mazda 6’s segment on the VFACTS sales charts is now only occupied by five models: the BYD Seal, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Skoda Octavia and Toyota Camry.
In recent years, rivals like the Ford Mondeo, Kia Optima, Subaru Liberty and Volkswagen Passat have disappeared from this segment.
For context, the mainstream mid-sized segment recorded 24,740 total sales in 2024 with the Mazda 6 and Passat included – the former accounting for 1354 sales. But the mainstream medium SUV segment was vastly more popular, with a total of 287,637 sales.
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