The covers have been pulled off the third generation Mazda6 sedan at the Moscow motor show. The car, which brings with it a new platform, is notable for having a longer wheelbase than all rivals, with the exception of the Ford Mondeo.
Mazda sees Russia as an important future market and has taken the decision to build the car at two global plants, one of which will be at a new location: Vladivostok. The company has partnered with local manufacturer OJSC Sollers and the two companies will also build the Mazda CX-5 at the same facility in Russia’s Far Eastern Federal District.
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The car, which will again be sold in Japan (from September) as the Atenza, has been built at Mazda’s Hofu No. 2 plant since earlier this month. The first example off the line was a Mazda6 wagon built to European markets specification. The factory in Japan’s Yamaguchi prefecture is scheduled to manufacture 120,000 units of the Atenza/Mazda6 per annum.
So-called ‘Sky-G’ (petrol) and ‘Sky-D’ (diesel) four-cylinder engines feature in the new car. The diesel has also been designed to comply with US emissions laws. No replacement for the V6 petrol engine is expected, though the company has considered the US market in another way: in March 2010, Mazda stated that it is to license Toyota’s hybrid technology “by 2013” for a new, Japan-built model. This is almost certain to mean a Mazda6 Hybrid will be revealed in the coming months, and exported to North America.
This will be the first time the Mazda6 is not built in the US. The Japanese company has not sold down its 50% holding in the AutoAlliance International manufacturing joint venture but the AAI plant in Michigan now builds only Fords, the last Mazda having coming off the line there in recent days. The new Mazda6 for North American markets will be shipped in from the Hofu 2 plant. Its local debut should be at the LA auto show in November.
One of the curious things about the new car is just how large it is, especially when it won’t be made in the US or sell in big numbers there, which would have made the dimensions understandable. Its 2,830mm wheelbase is only 20mm shorter than that of the soon to be replaced Ford Mondeo, and compares to 2,775mm for the Toyota Camry and 2,803mm for Volkswagen of America’s Passat/Shanghai VW’s New Passat (the famously lengthy first generation Škoda Superb also had a 2,803mm wheelbase).
Despite the car’s size, the proportions do seem to work as the overhangs are not excessive, and the vehicle sits low and has the right width to support its length. The car is 4,865mm long and 1,450mm high, with front and rear tracks of 1,585mm and 1,575mm respectively on 17-inch wheels (19-inchers are optional). Weight is quoted as 1,340kg (2.0-litre petrol) to 1,410kg (2.5-litre petrol). In the Russian market, both these engines will be in Euro 4 specification and linked to either a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox.
The new model is the first Mazda to adopt a brake energy regeneration system which is called i-LOOP. This is said to contribute to an improvement in fuel efficiency in real world driving situations. This is also claimed to be the first passenger car brake energy regeneration system to utilise a capacitor.
Further details on the third generation Mazda6, as well as the specifications for the diesel engine, will be released to coincide with the world premiere of the wagon at next month’s Paris motor show.
A spokesperson at Mazda’s UK press office has confirmed to just-auto that there won’t be a five-door hatchback for the new model – just the sedan and in certain markets, the wagon too.
Author: Glenn Brooks
