The Mazda 6 has not been offered in North America for several years, but it’s still sold in some European markets, for instance Germany, and including in wagon format. Australia and Vietnam, too, still have the Mazda 6.
The model is aging, however. But Mazda has plans for it on the European market. A new European patent application is leading some to conclude an electric variant is in the pipeline. According to the Autoguide outlet, the manufacturer wants to reserve the Mazda 6e nams and the 6e logo, which leaves little room for interpretation as to what awaits the next-generation model.
This doesn't mean that it would no longer be offered with a gasoline engine, but it does indicate an electrified variant is at least being considered.
Now, what can we expect from an electric Mazda sedan? We know that the MX-30 SUV didn't exactly take North America by storm. The small crossover is already gone from the U.S. market, and it hangs on for now in Canada. The short range in relation to its high price has kept that model uncompetitive.
In Europe, the MX-30 continues on, now with a rotary engine as range extender. Which is an approach Mazda hopes to continue using with future models. Would an electric Mazda 6 be equipped with such a solution, or just an electric structure? What about a plug-in hybrid approach, with technology from Toyota (which owns just over 5 percent of Mazda)?
And, the big question on this side of the Atlantic is whether Mazda would consider bringing the model back to North America in electric form, in order to give it another shot and give itself a real chance with an all-electric model here (provided the range is sufficient).
It would be surprising, but the automotive industry is full of surprises these days.
In any case, should other markets inherit an electric Mazda 6, the technology it uses may spread to other future North American products from the Japanese brand.