Mazda 6e European premiere at BMS: sedan returns to Europe as EV

At the Brussels Motor Show, Japanese independent car manufacturer Mazda reintroduces its 6 Sedan on the European market with electric drive only. The car has a sedan look but offers a large tailgate. It is rear-wheel-driven and will initially be provided in a standard and a longer-range version.

The car has been co-developed with Chinese Mazda partner Changan Automotive, which already produces Mazda cars for the Chinese market and works with Ford. In China, the Mazda 6e is called EZ-6 and is based on the Changan Deepal SL03, launched in 2022. There is also a version with a range extender (EREV).

Multi-solution approach

Mazda stresses that the 6e, launched in the summer of 2025, represents a new era and is an integral part of this smaller Japanese brand’s multi-solution approach. Last year, the brand sold some 183,000 cars in Europe and approximately 1.35 million worldwide.

In Europe, the new Mazda 6e will first target former or present Mazda 6 owners, whom the brand left choiceless a few years ago when the 6 Sedan disappeared from the offer. These car owners were generally interested in a still affordable, roomy, nice-looking sedan emphasizing comfort above sporty performance. And that’s precisely what the new Mazda 6e also wants to offer, in electrified form.

At 4.92 m in length, the 6e is a rather large car. It is 1.89 m wide and 1.49 m high. It sits on a 2.9 m wheelbase and wants to offer plenty of space inside. Opening the tailgate, one can choose between a minimum of 330 liters (under the tonneau cover behind the rear seats) and 1,074 liters with the rear seats folded. In the front, there’s a frunk of 70 liters.

Special attention has been given to aerodynamic efficiency, which is always very important for electric cars. At the rear, a dynamic electric rear spoiler is popping up from 90 kph onward. The characteristic Mazda nose has its signature wing design illuminated.

Mazda calls its newcomer a representative of its human-centered ‘centric’ design with ‘authentic modern’ forms. The car wants to be very user-friendly and has a 14.6-inch central touch screen that includes gesture control and voice recognition. The augmented reality head-up display (HUD) changes color when driving in snowy conditions.

Two versions

The Mazda 6e has a permanent synchronous electromotor driving the rear wheels. In its standard version, the motor delivers 190 kW/258 hp and gets its energy from a 68.8 kWh battery pack, providing a WLTP range of 479 km.

In the long-range version, the same engine only develops 180 kW/245 hp but delivers the same maximum torque of 320 Nm. The battery pack has an 80.0 kWh capacity here.

The result is that both cars are equally fast (175 kph top speed), but the standard version is a little quicker in the sprint, up to 100 kph (7.6 against 7.8 seconds). The difference in battery capacity gives the long-range version a 552 km WLTP range.

A noticeable fact is that both versions weigh almost the same, some 1.97 tons, despite the bigger capacity battery in the long-range version. The reason for this is the kind of battery cells used.

The standard version uses a cheaper but less energy-dense LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) battery, while the long-range version has a lithium NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) battery. Both cars can tow a trailer of up to 1,500 kg.

A consequence of this choice is that the standard LFP battery can be charged more quickly than the NMC battery. DC charging for the standard car can go up to 200 kW, while the limit for the long-range 6e is 95 kWh. This results in a profound difference in charging times. DC charging from 30 to 80% takes 15 minutes with the LFP battery and more than double (35 minutes) with the NMC battery.

AC charging from 30% to 80% also takes longer (6 hours compared to 7.5 hours), but that’s because of the size difference, as they both load at 11 kW max. Both cars have a McPherson strut suspension on the front and a multi-link rear axle and drive standard on 19-inch wheels.

With a launch in the summer, it’s too early to talk about prices already, but Mazda will try to keep its new sedan at a reasonable price level to convince its former clientele and persuade newcomers. Considering that the two battery packs are different in size and that NMC batteries cost more, one can expect a more substantial price difference between the standard and the long-range version.