The Mazda EZ-6 – the electrified successor to the Mazda 6 – was widely touted to be a China-only model when it was first unveiled at the 2024 Beijing motor show, but the Japanese carmaker has now confirmed that it will be a “truly global” model.
In a press release yesterday, Mazda said that EZ-6 will be its “first global new energy vehicle”, and would be officially launched in the fall of 2024, “first available in the Chinese and European markets”. Presumably, these markets will be left-hand-drive countries as the company works on a right-hand-drive conversion.
The EZ-6 is a result of a joint venture with China’s Changan Automobile, and shares a large part of its underpinnings with the Deepal SL03, another EV sedan model under Changan’s umbrella.
Technical details of the EZ-6 are not yet available, but Mazda has confirmed that it will be offered in fully electric (EV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) configurations. The former will be capable of an electric driving range of 600 km (CLTC cycle), while the latter will have a combined range upwards of 1,000 km.
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It’s possible the Mazda EZ-6 will also mirror the Deepal SL03’s powertrain set-up. In the Chinese model, the fully electric setup consists of a rear-mounted motor offering either 218 hp (160 kW) or 258 hp (190 kW), both with a peak torque of 320 Nm. Two battery options are available, namely a 58.90 or 66.8 kWh battery pack that offers 530 km (CLTC) and 610 km respectively.
As for the hybrid, the SL03 packs a 1.5-litre inline-four petrol engine, paired to an electric motor rated at either 218 hp (160 kW) or 238 hp (175 kW) in a series-hybrid “range extender” setup, and either a 19- or 28.4-kWh battery. The smaller battery offers 135 km in electric mode and 1,140 km in hybrid mode, while the bigger pack is rated for 200 km in EV mode, and 1,200 km in hybrid mode.
To support its global market aspirations, Mazda and Changan Mazda recently signed an Electric Vehicle Export Cooperation Agreement, designating the latter as its “exclusive Chinese new energy R&D and production base” for the global market.
While the EZ-6 is based on the Deepal SL03, Mazda says it has leveraged its extensive expertise in “dynamic performance tuning” to help make the fully-electric sedan feel as Jinba-Ittai as the ICE-powered Mazda 6. Mazda sent its experts from its European R&D centre over to the Chongqing Automobile Testing Grounds, said to be “the highest specification automotive test field in China”, to further hone the EZ-6’s dynamic capabilities.
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