[Auto] New Mazda EZ-6 Is the Mazda 6 Sedan Reincarnated as a RWD EV

[Wolf.17]

 

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Mazda revealed a new electric sedan called the EZ-6 for the Chinese market with an estimated 370-mile range.

Mazda will also sell the EZ-6 as a plug-in hybrid that's claimed to have a 620-mile driving range.

Part of a joint venture with Chinese automaker Changan, it's highly unlikely the EZ-6 makes it to the U.S.

Mazda's first attempt at an EV in the United States flopped. The MX-30 arrived with a mere 100 miles of estimated range and was offered exclusively in California, lasting just two model years. While the Japanese automaker has yet to outline its plans for subsequent American-bound EVs, it has now revealed a new electric sedan for China at the Beijing auto show. Called the EZ-6, it looks like a reincarnation of the gas-powered Mazda 6 sedan that departed after 2021. We're also bummed to report that it most likely won't be offered stateside.

An Electric Mazda 6

The EZ-6 is developed as part of a joint venture with Chinese automaker Changan and will go on sale in China by the end of this year. The electric sedan has sleek bodywork and a purposeful stance, with long, thin headlights that flow into a wide, squared-off grille. A full-width light bar stretches across the rear but still includes the circular eye-like elements familiar from past Mazdas. Above the taillight, a retractable wing can raise to improve stability at higher speeds. The EZ-6 is an inch longer than than the last Mazda 6 sedan on our shores.

The EZ-6's cabin appears to have rich materials and sports a large 14.6-inch central touchscreen along with a 10.2-inch digital gauge cluster. The center console has a simple design with a wireless charging pad, two cupholders, and some classy wood trim that also appears around the window switches on each door. The rear seat has a pair of vents and haptic touch controls for the climate system, and the infotainment system features voice and gesture control.

Not many specifics were offered on the EZ-6's electric powertrain, but we do know it is rear-wheel drive, suggesting a single, rear-mounted electric motor. Mazda claims it has a 50/50 weight distribution and says the EZ-6 uses a front strut and rear multilink suspension. Along with the electric powertrain, Mazda will sell the EZ-6 as a plug-in hybrid, although zero details were provided about the accompanying engine. Mazda estimates a driving range for the EV of around 370 miles, with the PHEV supposedly capable of roughly 620 miles on a single tank of fuel. The EZ-6 also comes with "intelligent parking technology" that can be voice-controlled even when the owner is outside of the vehicle.

Mazda also showed off a flashy SUV concept called the Arata, which Mazda said will go into production for the Chinese market as the company's second EV by the end of 2025. No details were revealed about the powertrain, but the Arata has a handsome appearance with thin headlights, a blanked-off grille, and a massive slanted D-pillar.

While the Arata is certainly a sharp-looking crossover, we are far more disappointed by the thought that the EZ-6 sedan will likely remain exclusive to the Chinese market. An electric sedan with over 300 miles of range would fill a long vacant gap in Mazda's U.S. lineup and, with its rear-wheel-drive configuration, could be one of the most fun-to-drive mass-market EVs yet. Even if the EZ-6 doesn't make it across the Pacific Ocean, we hope Mazda's EV plans for the U.S. include a sedan as handsome as this.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a60604525/mazda-ez-6-ev-sedan-details/