Mazda eyes more Changan EVs for Australia

Mazda is closely considering adding two more Chinese-built electric vehicles to its global range, with Australia at the centre of the plan as soaring petrol and diesel prices bolster local demand for EVs.

The long-standing joint venture between Mazda and Changan has recently delivered the 6e sedan and CX-6e mid-size SUV for Australia, with further models now under consideration to join the line-up around 2028.

Mazda Australia managing director Vinesh Bhindi has confirmed that discussions about additional Changan-built models are underway while revealing that the company expects Chinese cars to sit at the centre of the brand’s performance in the coming years.

“We think our two BEV cars will play a bigger role as we move forward than we probably planned eight months ago,” Bhindi said.

Mazda’s electrification strategy for Australia already envisages third and fourth models from its Changan partnership, with the collaboration providing a fast route to market while Mazda continues to develop its own dedicated EV architecture.

“Our 20-year partnership with Changan Automotive in Nanjing is a strong partnership. We have started talking about what other opportunities could be there,” Bhindi said.

While Mazda is understood to be working on an in-house electric small car and small SUV (which could replace today’s 2, 3 and CX-3 models), there is an obvious opportunity for Changan to supply a small-to-mid-size SUV in the shorter term.

The Chinese arm already produces the 4.62-metre Deepal S05 model in EV form. It’s a meaningfully smaller vehicle than the CX-6e, which measures 4.85 metres in length.

An S05-based Mazda could give the Japanese brand much-needed electric competition to the Geely EX5, Kia EV5 and Hyundai Elexio while complementing Mazda’s own ageing CX-30 model.

There’s also a gap for an electric three-row SUV to supplement Mazda’s plug-in hybrid CX-80 model.

Changan’s own Deepal S09 is a possible donor vehicle, but a catch is that the S09 is currently only built in Nanjing with a petrol range-extender hybrid powertrain, though a fully electric variant could appear in future.

The need for new Mazda products has become more urgent as Mazda seeks to backstop a sales decline while also looking to comply with tightening emissions requirements in Australia.

Mazda’s new 6e and CX-6e electric models commence at $49,990 and $53,990 respectively, both plus on-road costs, giving the brand competitive entries into the mid-size car and SUV segments.

Both will also help to address Mazda’s substantial exposure under Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) regime. Mazda recorded the most emissions liability units in the first NVES reporting period, and future targets only get tougher.

Increasing EV sales will generate credits with which Mazda can offset past NVES results and future sales of higher-CO2 models, including the BT-50, which the brand says it plans to retain with a diesel engine into a new generation.

Australian EV sales topped 24 per cent of the market in August and September 2026 ahead of petrol averaging $2.39 per litre across the capital cities in early October – nearly 30 per cent more than in early February, before the latest Middle East conflict kicked off.

With fuel prices remaining persistently high, electricity offers a degree of insulation from the fuel price cycle, as Australian power is principally generated from coal, gas and renewables.

“Consumers have started to accept EV as a viable option in their lifestyle,” Bhindi said, suggesting the fuel shock has changed purchasing behaviour in ways that may persist even without NVES.

Additional Changan-sourced EVs would strengthen Mazda’s own model range, which – aside from a couple of plug-in hybrids – continues to be based around traditional combustion engines.

Changan Mazda has also signed an agreement to investigate developing new models using battery giant CATL’s modular skateboard chassis, potentially opening more opportunities beyond adaptations of existing Nevo and Deepal products.

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