1 day ago
9
A disguised Mazda 6e has been spotted in Melbourne, foreshadowing confirmation of the Chinese-made electric vehicle for local showrooms.
Mazda Australia’s likely next electric car, the Mazda 6e, has arrived on local soil for testing in right-hand drive ahead of an expected confirmation for showrooms later this year.
Spotted in Melbourne, the camouflaged Mazda 6e is easily recognised thanks to its unique coupe-like sedan silhouette and sleek headlights.
The rear also boasts slender tail-lights, a subtle boot-lip spoiler, and a liftback opening that recalls the first- and second-generation Mazda 6.
Wearing Victorian number plates, the Mazda 6e – or Mazda EZ-6, as it is known in China – is a right-hand-drive example likely imported to build the business case to bring the China-made model to Australia.
Mazda Australia is currently studying the local appetite for the Mazda 6e as the model is now available in right-hand-drive markets like the UK.
“We’re building a business case and evaluating whether that’s [Mazda 6e] is right for us,” Mazda Australia boss Vinesh Bhindi told Drive earlier this year.
Bhindi also confirmed an announcement would be made “hopefully within this year” on the success – or failure – of the Mazda 6e’s Australian proposition.
If successful, the all-electric Mazda 6e would revive the Japanese brand’s long-running mid-size sedan nameplate after it was forced to axe the model earlier this year due to new safety mandates.
It would also be the first Mazda Australia model sourced from China, with most of its vehicles currently built in Japan and Thailand.
However, the Mazda 6e is not a wholly Mazda product, as it was developed in conjunction with China’s Changan, and is built at a joint-venture facility in Nanjing.
Mazda’s potential next electric car – following the MX-30 EV that was discontinued after it “exhausted the natural demand”, according to the brand – also shares its platform with the Deepal S07 SUV already on sale in Australia for $53,900 before on-road costs.
Flagship examples of the Mazda 6e outside of China feature a single electric motor that sends 180kW/320Nm to the rear wheels, as well as an 80kWh battery for a claimed WLTP range of 552km.
Cheaper models develop 190kW but use a smaller 68.8kWh battery, good for 475km of claimed WLTP range, and DC fast charging at up to 165kW – against 90kW for the larger pack.
A high-riding SUV version, known in China as the EZ-60, is also expected to make its way to Europe and be renamed CX-6e, which would open the door for Mazda Australia to build a business case too.
Outside these two models, Mazda is also working on its own ground-up, in-house global electric vehicle (EV) due around 2027.
Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
