Even when marking the 20th anniversary of the launch, the Mazda6 2023 is just an update – Photo: Drive
Plans to replace rear-wheel drive for the Mazda6 mid-size sedan – on the same platform as the large SUVs CX-60 and CX-90 – do not appear to have started.
Previously, there was much information that the implementation of the rear-wheel drive 6-cylinder engine with the Large platform on the new CX-60, CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90 SUVs will is the premise for a completely new Mazda6, which has been around for decades.
However, according to the page Drive, the way Mazda leaders have been interviewed in the past year shows that that future, if any, is still far away. Especially in the face of declining global sedan sales and Mazda’s focus on more profitable SUVs.
When asked if the Large platform could be applied to traditional vehicles such as the Mazda6 sedan, Mazda CX-90 Program Manager Mitsuru Wakiie told Australian media: “The group has informed us that it will deliver. CX-60, CX-90, CX-70 and CX-80. That’s the answer I can give you for now.”
When asked directly whether the four SUVs above are the only models built on the Large architecture, Mr. Wakiie also only replied: “This platform can provide the CX-60, 70, 80 and 90”.
While Mr. Wakiie doesn’t directly say cars like the Mazda6 will use the Large architecture, he doesn’t completely rule out that the platform could be applied outside of new SUVs either.
Drive envisions the Mazda6 2023 design to be inspired by the CX-60, but when the model is equipped with a similar “heart” is quite obscure – Photo: Drive
But even so, the fact that Mazda’s traditional cars are equipped with upgrades similar to the CX-60 is still in the distant future.
Mazda Europe Technical and Development Director Joachim Kunz gives an interview Autocar said: “It would be great… if there was FR [động cơ phía trước, dẫn động phía sau] and a six-cylinder engine for the next-generation Mazda6 or a large sports coupe. We’d love to, but at this point the most important thing is to sell the SUV. The SUV trend is continuing and getting even stronger for Mazda. It’s the best-selling product line.”
The current generation of Mazda6 has been around since 2012 but there is no sign of the next generation coming soon – Photo: Mazda
Mazda6 sales have declined over the past decade. According to a report by Jato Dynamics – a company specializing in data analysis for the automotive industry, sales of Mazda6 in Europe reached 4,865 units in 2021, down 28% compared to 2020. Accumulated 11 months of 2022, only 4,104 vehicles were sold. across this continent.
In Vietnam, Mazda6 is also in the “red alert” group when summarizing sales in 2022, Mazda6 only sold 1,289 cars, behind two competitors in the same segment, Toyota Camry (4,471 cars) and Kia K5 (1,710 cars). ).
That led to the company deciding to kill this car in some markets like the US last year and recently the UK.
This also explains why this D-class sedan is slow to launch a new generation. The current-generation model debuted in 2012 and was offered a number of updates throughout the decade on sale in 2018, 2021 and 2023.