Mazda EZ-6: New electric sedan to come to Europe
We had secretly hoped for it, now it's official: As PR Newswire writes, the Mazda EZ-6 is to go into series production as a global model in the fall of 2024. And that is for Europe and China.
This could replace the twelve-year-old Mazda 6, at least the sedan. At the end of April 2024, the 6 was discontinued in Japan, and other markets are likely to follow quickly. Instead of the station wagon, the CX-60 could be used. In addition, Mazda "6e" had been protected as an abbreviation and logo in Europe. So far, Mazda only has the MX-30 with a modest range in its range as a pure electric car. So there are many pieces of the puzzle that make sense when put together.
But back to what my colleagues write. It says that Mazda recently presented the design and development process of the EZ-6 to users from China for the first time at its headquarters in Hiroshima. In July, the vehicle successfully rolled off the production line at Changan Mazda, Mazda's joint venture in China.
At the same time, Mazda and Changan Mazda signed an agreement to cooperate in the export of electric vehicles, designating Changan Mazda as the exclusive Chinese R&D and production base for new energy for the global market. This makes it clear that the EZ-6 will be Mazda's first global new energy vehicle.
The EZ-6 is to be officially launched as a global model in the fall of 2024 and will initially be available on the Chinese and European markets (here probably from 2025). Mazda wants to use its extensive expertise in dynamic performance optimization from the era of combustion engines to enhance the driving pleasure of the EZ-6 and surpass the Jinba-Ittai (car and driver as one) of the 6.
Previously, experts from Mazda's European R&D center completed the dynamic performance tuning and validation of the EZ-6 at the Chongqing Automobile Testing Grounds, the automotive testing ground with the highest requirements in China.
Picture gallery: Mazda EZ-6, photos from the Beijing Motor Show 2024
The Mazda EZ-6 uses software and electrification technology from Changan Automobile, Mazda's Chinese partner. The new car will be equipped with Level 2.5 autonomous driving assistance, a 7nm Qualcomm SA8155P chip, four high-resolution panoramic cameras and twelve high-performance ultrasonic radars. It will realize various intelligent driving scenarios such as autonomous parking, remote controlled parking, remote intelligent parking and trace-back parking.
The future of the Arata electric study in the format of the CX-5 is still open. Like the EZ-6, it was shown at Auto China 2024. At the time, it said: "In addition, the Mazda Arata concept model, which was presented at the same time, is to be the second new electrified vehicle to be mass-produced and launched on the Chinese market by the end of 2025."
Mazda 6 and CX-60 review:
But Mazda is not only driving electrically into the future. At the end of May, an agreement was reached with Subaru and Toyota to work together on future combustion engines. Mazda CEO Masahiro Moro said at the time:
"We will continue to offer exciting cars to our customers by optimizing internal combustion engines for the age of electrification and expanding the possibilities for achieving CO2 neutrality in several ways. Given the compatibility of the rotary engine with electrification and carbon-neutral fuels, Mazda will continue to develop the technology through co-creation and competition to ensure that it can make a comprehensive contribution to society."