Mazda EZ-6 coming to Europe in autumn

Mazda will launch its EZ-6 electric saloon in Europe. The EZ-6, built by Changan Mazda in China, was initially intended for the local market - from autumn, it will also be sold as a global model in Europe.

As Mazda has now officially announced, the global rollout of the EZ-6 will first focus on the European market. A more precise statement than autumn 2024 for the market launch in Europe has yet to be available, Mazda has also yet to name any prices for the EZ-6.

Mazda presented the EZ-6 at Auto China in Beijing in April. The model, developed together with Changan, will follow the Mazda6 combustion-powered saloon and will launch in China with a battery-electric drive and optional range extender. No technical data was given at the time, but the platform similarity to the Deepal SL03 suggested a 163 kW electric drive and an LFP battery from CATL for a range of around 700 kilometres in the Chinese CTLC.

The Japanese company still needs to provide technical data on the announcement that the EZ-6 will be sold outside of China. Instead, it is announced that Mazda and the China joint venture Changan Mazda have signed an “Agreement on Electric Vehicle Export Cooperation.” It designates Changan Mazda as the exclusive Chinese R&D and production centre for alternative drive systems for the global market. The EZ-6 for Europe will thus also come from China and not from Japan.

Mazda’s European research and development centre experts have already been in China and have “dynamic performance tuning and validation of the MAZDA EZ-6 at the Chongqing Automobile Testing Grounds,” according to Mazda. Whether there are any Europe-specific changes to the chassis or drive hardware, or whether the China version has been validated for Europe, is not mentioned. Mazda emphasises that it has “leveraged its extensive expertise in dynamic performance tuning from the gasoline vehicle era” to increase the driving pleasure of the EZ-6.

Changan contributes not only the EPA-1 platform, but also the driving assistants. The EZ-6 is to be equipped with a level 2.5 semi-autonomous driving system. The system utilises a 7nm Qualcomm SA8155P chip, four high-resolution panoramic cameras and twelve high-performance ultrasonic radars.

The Mazda EZ-6 is 4.92 metres long, 1.89 metres wide without wing mirrors and 1.49 metres high. Its wheelbase is 2.99 metres. In the design of the saloon, Mazda has opted for continuity with the combustion models: The EZ-6 has a black but closed ‘radiator grille’ at the front, giving the saloon a combustion engine-like appearance.

prnewswire.com (European launch), carnewschina.com (start of production)