Mazda thought of the electric car as plan B. It has found an unexpected success that comes from China and aims at Europe

The Japanese and electrification is a case study. For decades, the combination of combustion engines with electric engines has allowed Toyota to grow to limits that could be considered unsuspected. Until it became, in fact, the largest car manufacturer in the world.

Many expected, evidently, that the jump to electric cars would be easy for a company that has been working with electric motors and batteries for decades. However, the Japanese company has been involved in a vicious circle between love and hate, where one day they present an ambitious plan, another day they deny the electric car, another they assume it as another leg of the business and another they take advantage of it to present another, much more realistic plan.

We talk about Toyota but things are not very different in the rest of the Japanese companies. Nissan had the opportunity in the Leaf to have its own electric Prius and lay the foundations for the industry of the future, but the project did not achieve the success that Toyota did. They are now in talks that may end in a move by Honda to bail out Nissan.

Honda, in fact, continues to bet on the short term hybrid and although on the horizon they are in favor of making the leap to the electric car, their strategy in this regard is also moving forward with lead feet. It is not surprising, therefore, that smaller companies are advancing along the same path that the industry giants in their own country are showing.

Yes, in this case we are talking about Mazda. In the first days of 2024, Masahiro Moro, CEO of the company, was the first to ensure that “interest in electric vehicles is declining, so his company is exploring alternative solutions to the mobility crisis.”

That same thing had led Mazda to present the Mazda Iconic SP. Your particular extended range electric sports car (in practice a plug-in hybrid that prioritizes electric mode and uses a small rotary engine as an auxiliary alternative) to achieve the perfect balance between low emissions, moderate weight and fun.

All in all, Mazda has not turned its back on the electric car but it is true that its first results have not been very successful. The Mazda MX-30 had to add an extended range option given its low autonomy. But, when he least expected it, he has found a breath of oxygen in his particular career within the electricity market.

One that swims against the current.

The fashionable car is called Mazda EZ-6

That oxygen cylinder is called Mazda EZ-6. The electric sedan is a spiritual successor in electric format to the Mazda 6 and has managed to sneak into the three best-selling electric sedans in China, according to CarNewsChina.

The success has been such that the Changan factory has had to expand production of the vehicle to meet all the demand that they have been accumulating in recent months. The Japanese maintain a joint venture with this Chinese group whose objective is arrive in Spain in 2026.

Part of this success is explained, according to the media specialized in the Chinese automobile industry, in the discounts and benefits that Changan Mazda is offering before the end of the year, which include a Sony sound system, Michelin tires and price reductions. additional price to those of the Government if another car is delivered.

What has caught the attention of the Mazda EZ-6 is that it is a sedan that maintains all the Japanese design language but has adapted the interior to Chinese tastes, with a huge 14.6-inch screen that uses a Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8155 to power the entire infotainment system.

The interior of the Mazda EZ-6 seems specific to China

Its measurements, 4,921 meters long, 1,890 meters wide and 1,485 meters high, with a wheelbase of 2,895 meters, also adapt well to Chinese tastes, where rear seat space is prioritized. Its 480 km or 600 km approved with the optimistic Chinese cycle are more than enough in a country where long-distance trips by car are not so common. It is accompanied by a 190 kW (255 HP) engine.

The vehicle has not only lifted expectation in China. Mazda is lacking fully electric models in its offer and has already begun its commercial phase in Japan. The new electric sedan seeks to gain a foothold in difficult terrain as the market continues to opt for the hybrid.

All in all, the company aspires to get as much performance as possible outside of China. We know that last summer the company has been testing the car in Sweden, thanks to some spy photos of Autoevolution. The company could take its first steps in the United Kingdom and, later, jump to other European markets.

It remains to be seen if Mazda would maintain the same interior design that we already see in China, since the company has always rejected gigantic screens, considering them unsafe. The installation of a panel larger than 14 inches is, of course, a concession for the Asian market.

We also don’t know What would its price be if sold in Europe?. In China it has a price that, at direct exchange rate, is only 18,310 euros. However, in its jump to Europe we can expect a much higher price. In addition, it would have to deal with the tariffs that Europe already applies to electric vehicles coming from China. Another question would be whether Mazda finds sense in bringing the plug-in hybrid, which with the Chinese homologation cycle offers a performance of 1,300 kilometers on a single tank, which would lack tariffs and which could be aligned with a market that has seen how Sales of electric cars have been slowing down.

Photo | Mazda

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