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Summary
- Mazda may introduce an electrified Mazda 6 as evidenced by recent trademark filings.
- The Mazda 6e could potentially be a plug-in hybrid utilizing existing technology from CX-70 and CX-90.
- While a comeback is possible, Mazda’s silence suggests nothing is certain for North American markets.
While Mazda deleted the Mazda 6 sedan from its US and Canadian lineup in 2022 due to poor sales, the model did soldier on in Japan up until recently, with production ending April. However, although Mazda did mention that, going forward, it would focus its core business on its CX lineup of crossovers and SUVs, it seems the midsize sedan carrying the soul of the Miata could make a comeback.
At least, that’s what we discovered when surfing the European Union’s Intellectual Propriety (EUIP) website. Mazda seems to have recently trademarked the Mazda 6e nomenclature in Japan, as well as the 6e logo. Could this mark the birth of an electrified Mazda 6?
![2020 Mazda6 side static](https://static1.topspeedimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2020_mazda6_side-static.jpg)
Why The Mazda 6 Needs To Come Back As An EV
The Mazda 6 was last seen in the U.S in 2021, yet we hope the company would bring it back as an EV for the following reasons.
Several Possibilities, But Most Probably PHEV
That e at the end of the Mazda 6’s name could indeed signify a fully electric version of Mazda’s midsizer. Historically, the Mazda 6 (also known as the Atenza in Japan and China) sort of always acted as the flagship vehicle into which the carmaker integrated its latest technology.
Remember Mazda’s i-ELOOP energy recuperation technology? It was introduced on the Mazda 6 first, the only Mazda-branded vehicle to ever get it on the North American market.
But if we are to look at Mazda’s current electrification strategy, a fully electric Mazda 6 could be too soon. Remember, like Toyota, Mazda is banking hard on hybrids and plug-in hybrids as its way to slowly electrify its vehicles. Mazda is also a much smaller carmaker than most big-name brands, which means it doesn’t have the same kind of resources to develop an entirely new EV platform.
This mysterious Mazda 6e could therefore utilize the CX-70 and CX-90’s plug-in hybrid drivetrain and “large-car platform“. This also means the next Mazda 6, if it comes into production, will be first and foremost a rear-wheel driven sedan that could also hide an inline six-cylinder engine underneath its hood, complete with the same mild hybrid technology found in the regular CX-70 and CX-90.
We reached out to Mazda for an official statement on the matter, but we’re still waiting for an answer. We’ll update this article when we do, but I don’t expect Mazda to collaborate on this sort of thing. Carmakers generally don’t like to talk about future products, and although I would be excited to see the Mazda 6 potentially make a comeback, it’s not guaranteed it’ll make its way back to North American showrooms.
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