Mazda's 6e: A Japanese EV with a Chinese Accent
Image Credit: Mazda.
After huffing and puffing for quite a while, Mazda finally decided to join the electric party, albeit with a bit of help from their Chinese comrades. Say hello to the Mazda 6e, a new EV that's essentially the European twin of the Chinese Mazda EZ-6. It's that cousin you have who went abroad for a year and came back with a slightly different accent and a newfound love for noodles.
Don't worry; the e6 isn't some Frankensteinian mashup of Japanese and Chinese engineering. It is still a Mazda through and through. It's got that sleek, Kodo design language that Mazda has become known for, with flowing lines and a sporty stance. But under the hood, things get a bit more interesting. The 6e is built on Changan's hybrid platform and comes packed with all sorts of in-cabin tech wizardry. Almost like a traditional Japanese tea ceremony held in a futuristic, high-tech tea room.
If you are hoping the performance will match the looks, you'll be disappointed. The 6e is not exactly going to set your hair on fire. Mazda offers two battery options: a 68.8 kWh unit that gives you around 300 miles of range and a beefier 80 kWh pack that bumps that up to 345 miles.
As for power, the smaller battery gets you 255 horses and a 0-62 mph time of 7.6 seconds. Opt for the bigger battery, and you'll get a slightly less powerful 241 hp motor and a slightly slower 0-62 mph time of 7.8 seconds. Not exactly earth-shattering, but it's not a snail either.
The interior of the 6e boasts a 14.6-inch infotainment screen, a 10.1-inch driver display, and a head-up display that could rival a movie theater screen. They even threw in zero-gravity reclining seats, because apparently, driving in the future means feeling like you're floating in space.
So, European Mazda, then? Not exactly. The 6e is being exported from China. And thanks to the EU's recent tariff hike on Chinese EVs, Mazda's going to have to pay a pretty penny to get this thing on European roads. That means the $20,000 price tag it enjoys in China is about as likely as me winning the lottery. We'll have to wait until closer to launch to get the official pricing, but don't expect it to be cheap. I'm betting it'll be much closer to $40,000.
Image Credit: Mazda.
Should you hold off on buying that Tesla Model 3 and wait for the 6e? Good question. If you're looking for the absolute fastest, most technologically advanced EV on the market, then probably not. But if you're after a stylish, practical, and hopefully reasonably priced EV with a bit of a unique flair, then the 6e might just be worth a look.
