TOKYO MOTOR SHOW: debut for next-gen Mazda 6

Forget the showcar name and label – this is the new Mazda 6... And it's set to be unveiled at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show in late November.

Officially the car is called Takeri, but look past the showcar features, however, and you are looking at the next generation Mazda6. Built to incorporate Mazda's Kodo design language and the Japanese marque's SKYACTIV suite of fuel-efficient chassis and powertrain technologies, the new vehicle will be the star of Mazda's exhibit at Tokyo.

Family resemblances between Takei and the recently displayed CX-5 are very clear. Mazda's new bluff nose is present as are the heavily sculptured fenders. But that's about all we know – this far out Mazda is keeping its powder very dry.

We can tell you it'll have a SKYACTIV-D turbodiesel engine with auto stop-start and Mazda's first "regenerative braking system". Interestingly, this is more than the smart, decoupling alternators that BMW, Audi and others sprout as 'regenerative' – the Takeri's system will actually use the deceleration of the car to generate electricity, store it in capacitors F1 car-style and use the power for the vehicle’s electrical equipment.

motoring.com.au drove the development 'mule' of the production version of the new 6 both in Europe and in Australia. For what is effectively a sneak peek at the mechanicals that underpin Takeri check out our impressions from here and abroad. And stay tuned for more on Tokyo and next month's Los Angeles Motor Show as the important international events get closer.

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