- A program manager at Mazda has said the company would build new sedans if customers actually bought them.
- The Mazda6 was dropped in the United States at the end of the 2021 model year following a steep drop in sales.
- While Mazda only offers one sedan in America, they recently launched the new four-door EZ-6 in China.
The carpocalypse has decimated sedans as a number of brands have gone SUV-only. Even the holdouts haven’t escaped unscathed as automakers – such as Mazda and Nissan – have trimmed their sedan lineups. In the United States, the Mazda6 was dropped after the 2021 model year following a steep decline in sales. While the company moved 57,898 units in 2015, that number dropped to 18,504 units in 2021.
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In essence, the market spoke and clearly demanded crossovers. Mazda responded with an expansive lineup that includes the CX-30, CX-50, CX-70, CX-90, and CX-5. The Mazda3 and MX-5 Miata are still around, but the emphasis is on SUVs.
That’s unlikely to change as a Mazda program manager recently told Drive, “Journalists always tell me that you should make a sedan, but the marketplace is so small”. However, Kohei Shibata told the publication if “people start to buy that kind of vehicle, then that will let us make that vehicle.”
While that would require a global shift in consumer preferences, Shibata said he would love a new front-engine, rear-wheel drive sedan. He’s certainly not alone, but a few fans aren’t enough to justify a new Mazda6.
The Mazda Vision Coupe Concept was presented at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show
However, if you’re in China, there’s no shortage of sedans that are forbidden fruit in America. There, customers can get a stylish Buick Lacrosse, a brand-new Cadillac CT6, and even a modern-day Lincoln Zephyr.
American brands aren’t the only ones offering sedans in China as Mazda recently launched the EZ-6. Based on s Changan’s Deepal/Shenlan SL03 sedans, it offers an electric powertrain that consists of a 56.1 or 68.8 kWh battery pack as well as a rear-mounted motor producing 255 hp (190 kW / 258 PS) and 236 lb-ft (320 Nm) of torque.
If ranges of 298 miles (480 km) and 373 miles (600 km) aren’t enough, there’s a range-extended variant with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, an 18.9 or 28.4 kWh battery pack, and a 215 hp (160 kW / 218 PS) motor. This provides an overall range in excess of 808 miles (1,300 km).
It’s also fairly affordable, with prices starting at around $19,600 for the extended range model and $22,400 for the pure electric version.
MAZDA EZ-6
