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The Mazda EZ-6 electric sedan has been confirmed for Europe where it will be sold as the ‘Mazda 6e’ – with right-hand drive deliveries due to commence in the UK in 2026, opening the door for an Australian launch.
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The Mazda 6 will live on as an electric sedan sharing far more in common with a Chinese vehicle than any other Mazda model on sale, it has been confirmed.
Mazda revealed at the 2025 Brussels motor show the car known as the EZ-6 in China will be sold in Europe as the Mazda 6e – keeping the Mazda 6 badge alive as the current petrol model dating back to 2012 inches closer to reaching the end of the line.
The rear-wheel-drive 6e is a reskinned version of the Deepal L07 sedan from Chinese car maker Changan, which has had a joint venture with Mazda in the country for over a decade.
A right-hand drive version has been confirmed for sale in the United Kingdom in 2026 – after left-hand drive European models launch this year in the Northern Hemisphere summer – opening the door for a potential Australian launch.
"Mazda6e has been developed for the European market. It is under study for overseas markets," a Mazda Australia spokesperson told Drive.
It will mark the return of the Mazda 6 badge to the UK after the current model was discontinued two years ago – joining the United States, Canada, Japan, China, New Zealand and other markets – though it remains on sale in Australia and some European countries as a sedan and wagon, for now.
In Germany, the Chinese-built 6e EV will start from “around €45,000” ($AU75,000), compared to 39,990 euros ($AU66,500) for the most affordable Tesla Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive, also manufactured in China.
The entry-level model features a 68.8kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery with a 479-kilometre driving range rating under the European WLTP lab-test standard, with a 190kW and 320Nm electric motor mounted to the rear wheels.
It will support fast charging at up to 200kW on a direct-current (DC) unit for a 10 to 80 per cent top-up in 22 minutes, Mazda says.
Stepping up to the Long Range brings a larger 80kWh nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) battery for a 552-kilometre WLTP range rating – but it has a less-powerful 180kW/320Nm electric motor said to accelerate from zero to 100km/h in “less than eight seconds”.
Curiously, the 6e Long Range only supports DC fast-charging at a speed of 95kW, with a longer 45-minute wait for a 10 to 80 per cent charge if the maximum charging power limit is maintained.
For comparison, a Tesla Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive has a 513-kilometre WLTP range rating in Europe with a 6.1 second 0-100km/h sprint time and a 170kW maximum charge rate.
The Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive Long Range can travel 702 kilometres, accelerate to 100km/h in 5.2s, and charge at 250kW for €49,990 (AU$75,000) in Germany – the same price forecast for the most affordable Mazda 6e.
Standard equipment will include a 14.6-inch infotainment touchscreen – the largest ever fitted to a Mazda – a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 50-inch augmented-reality head-up display, with these technologies derived from Deepal vehicles, including the S07 SUV now available in Australia.
While these components are shared with Deepal vehicles, Mazda has revised the 6e’s interior to better match its in-house models, with a different design for its air vents, steering wheel, centre console and door handles – in addition to quilted tan leather and suede upholstery similar to a CX-60 and CX-90.
It will be available with a 14-speaker Sony Pro sound system – including speakers in the headrests like the MX-5 sports car – along with a smartphone companion app to pre-condition the vehicle’s battery and plan charging stops, a panoramic sunroof with a sunshade, and an electric tailgate.
Safety features will include autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, rear cross-traffic alert, and a Mazda-first direct occupancy warning system using a roof-mounted camera to detect if there is still a child in the rear seats when the driver exits the vehicle.
The exterior of the 6e is also not a direct copy of its Deepal sibling, with a unique front and rear design – including Mazda-style circular inserts in its tail-lights with pulsating indicators – along with new frameless doors featuring a side trim piece with ‘Mazda’ lettering similar to a CX-90.
An electronically-retractable rear spoiler is a feature carried over from the Deepal L07 it is based on.
Measuring 4921mm long, 1890mm wide and 1485mm tall, with a 2895mm wheelbase, the Mazda 6e is about 56mm longer, 50mm wider and 45mm taller than the existing Mazda 6 sedan with an additional 65mm between the front and rear axles.
In China, the EZ-6, as the 6e is called there, is also available in range-extender form, adding a naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine to charge the battery – in 18.9kWh or 28.4kWh sizes – for a total range of around 1300 kilometres under the less-stringent Chinese CLTC test standard.
The range-extender version has not been confirmed for export, with the 6e announced as an electric-only model for Europe.
The 2026 Mazda EZ-6 sedan is due on sale in select left-hand drive European countries in the Northern Hemisphere summer (June to August inclusive), followed by the United Kingdom in right-hand drive sometime next year.
Mazda is expected to deliver another Deepal-based electric car with a new mid-size SUV previewed by the Arata concept unveiled at the 2024 Beijing auto show, likely to be called EZ-60 in China and CX-6e in Europe.
The 6e and incoming electric SUV are not the only Mazda vehicles globally to share more in common with cars from another brand – such as the Isuzu D-Max-based BT-50 ute sold in Australia, the Toyota Yaris-based Mazda 2 Hybrid in Europe, and Suzuki-based Kei cars in Japan – but it is the first time Mazda has used a Chinese car as the basis for its models.
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Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
