Mazda EZ-6 electric car goes global, U.S. unlikely

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The Mazda EZ-6 sedan will be the automaker’s first global-market EV, although Mazda isn’t specifically discussing plans to sell it in the U.S.

Mazda unveiled the EZ-6 in April at the 2024 Beijing auto show, saying at the time that the sedan would go on sale in China by the end of the year without announcing sales in other markets. On Tuesday the automaker clarified that the EZ-6 will go on sale this fall “as a global model,” first in China and then in Europe. Once again, U.S. sales were not mentioned.

2025 Mazda EZ-6

2025 Mazda EZ-6

The stylish EZ-6 is a joint project of Mazda and Chinese automaker Changan Automobile, combining Mazda styling with Changan connectivity and powertrain tech. The latter includes plug-in hybrid and all-electric options, with the latter achieving an ideal 50:50 front-rear weight distribution and 373 miles of range on the Chinese testing cycle, Mazda said at the time of the reveal.

The EZ-6 is the de facto successor to the Mazda 6 midsize sedan, but it’s based on a rear-wheel-drive platform that, according to Chinese media reports, is shared with a Changan sedan called the SL03. At 193.7 inches long, the EZ-6 is also about 4.5 inches longer than the last Mazda 6. Mazda withdrew that sedan from the U.S. after the 2021 model year.

2025 Mazda EZ-6

2025 Mazda EZ-6

Mazda has been somewhat skittish about EVs to date. The Mazda MX-30 crossover was only sold in the U.S. for a short time, leaving the automaker without an all-electric model in this market. The Mazda CX-90 three-row crossover and its new two-row counterpart, the CX-70, are both available with plug-in hybrid powertrains. The smaller CX-50 crossover also gains a hybrid powertrain, mechanically similar to the one used in the Toyota RAV4, for 2025.

Mazda also isn’t giving up on internal combustion. Earlier this year the automaker entered into an alliance with Toyota and Subaru to develop new engines with technologies aimed at further reducing emissions, including fossil-fuel alternatives like like liquid hydrogen and synthetic fuels.

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