When Mazda killed the 6 in Japan at the beginning of the year, it ruled out a next generation on the new rear-wheel-drive platform. Why? It claimed that the large SUVs with inline-six engines are indirect replacements, which clearly they’re not. The statement followed a similar announcement made in early 2022 when the Zoom-Zoom company denied plans to go after the German luxury trifecta. However, there’s still hope.
According to the firm’s Large Product Group program manager, the Japanese brand hasn’t completely closed the door on a new Mazda6 with RWD underpinnings. Kohei Shibata told Australia’s Drive magazine that it might just happen provided more people start buying sedans again:
“Personally, a FR [front-engined, rear-wheel drive] sedan would be a good dream for everyone. Journalists always tell me that you should make a sedan, but the marketplace is so small. So if…the people start to buy that kind of vehicle, then that will let us make that vehicle.”
Shibata wasn’t referring strictly to Mazda vehicles but sedans in general. With the Corolla and Camry, Toyota has proven there’s still strong demand for sedans in an SUV-obsessed world if the product is right. On the other hand, the Kia Stinger wasn’t exactly a commercial success, so Mazda is rightfully concerned that a six-cylinder, rear-wheel-drive 6 would suffer the same fate.
Mazda’s Large Products lineup was always envisioned with just four SUVs: CX-60, CX-70, CX-80, and CX-90. Realistically, a sedan was never on the table, nor was a big sports coupe Mazda Europe’s development and engineering boss Joachim Kunz had dreamed of at one point. It’s all about supply and demand, and in 2024, that means pumping out SUVs to the detriment of once-traditional body styles.
In the meantime, these third-party renderings will remain just that–a design exercise. However, Mazda is launching a rear-wheel-drive sedan in the 6’s segment. The EZ-6 is a product of the Changan Mazda joint venture in China and is largely based on the Changan Shenlan SL03, so it’s not really an all-Mazda vehicle at the end of the day. It might not remain a China-only affair but don’t expect to see it in the United States.
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