Mazda EZ-6 Aussie chances rated

The handsome Mazda EZ-6 liftback is being hosed down as a replacement for the veteran Mazda6 in Australia.

Revealed at the Beijing show last April as a joint-venture between Mazda and Chinese partner Changan, it has just gone on sale in China as both an EV and a range-extender hybrid.

Australian chances for the EZ-6 appeared to be boosted in August when a press release emerged stating it would also be sold in Europe from late 2024 and that it was a “global model”.

The press release attributed to Mazda was issued on the PR Newswire service on August 12, 2024, headlined ‘MAZDA EZ-6 confirmed as a truly global model’.

“The Mazda EZ-6 would be officially launched in the fall of 2024 as a global model, and first available in the Chinese and European markets,” the statement read.

That prompted speculation from motoring media it was also destined for the UK, which like us, is a right-hand drive market.

But Mazda Australia MD Vinesh Bhindi has revealed left-hand drive China remains the only confirmed venue for the EZ-6.

“It was not an official statement,” he insisted to carsales.

In addition to the EZ-6 simply not being available, Bhindi pointed out it wasn’t attractive in Australia because new-vehicle buyer interest in sedans has collapsed. Nowadays, SUVs and utes dominate the sales action.

“We’re not even discussing it [EZ-6],” he stated. “The sedan market is not where consumers are.”

“It’s only built in China for the Chinese market because the sedan market is still quite sizable in China.

“So at this stage the only announcement Mazda Corporation has made is it’s for China and it only went on-sale in China in the last couple of weeks.”

The EZ-6 is closely related to the Changan Deepal L07 sedan which has thus far been earmarked for an Australian release – Deepal launched in Australia just recently with the S07 electric SUV.

Swapping from the Mazda6’s front-wheel drive layout to rear-wheel drive, the EZ-6 EV makes 190kW/320Nm and claims a 480km or 600km CLTC driving range from its choice of 56.1kWh and 68.8kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery packs.

The EREV pairs a 1.5-litre 70kW/141Nm naturally aspirated petrol engine and an electric motor for a combined 160kW/320Nm, with the choice of 18.9kWh or 28.4kWh battery packs yielding CLTC electric ranges of 105km and 160km respectively.

The claimed maximum fuel range is an eye-popping 1300km (CLTC).

Definitively a large car, the EZ-6 measures 4921mm long, 1890mm wide and stands 1485mm tall on a 2895mm wheelbase.

In China, there are seven models with prices ranging from the equivalent of $29,500 (approx) to $38,000 (approx).

Meanwhile, the Mazda6 seems set to chug on for a little while yet. Mazda Australia continues to receive production even though Mazda Japan ceased sales earlier this year.

The current third generation has been on sale since 2012 and had a major update in 2018.

“It’s still in production and we are taking it for as long as it’s available to us and there is nothing to talk about as a replacement at this time,” Mazda Australia marketing director Alastair Doak said.

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