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Sleek Aus-signed Mazda electric on NZ wishlist
Richard Bosselman
October 24, 2025
The battery-wed replacement for the Mazda6 is coming to the region next year.
REGIONAL planning Mazda's first long-range electric vehicle – a China-sourced car five-seater hatchback with similar styling to the departed Mazda6 - has been highlighted, and Mazda New Zealand is keen to include.
Mid-2026 arrival in Australia has been confirmed for the Mazda 6e, with pricing starting at the equivalent of $NZ62,000.
Mazda New Zealand has previously indicated interest in the four-door five-seater.
That interest was reaffirmed today by product and communications manager Paul Sherley.
Confirming the car is under study, he said “we maintain our strong interest to have the car join the range locally.
“We hope to have some more updates to share in the coming months.”
The car made global debut in China as the EZ-6, and subsequently announced for Europe and the United Kingdom.
That right hand drive programme opens the door to regional availability.
While Hiroshima puts its name to the car and was responsible for the styling, the project owes as much to Changan, a car-making partner in China. It also sell the 6e under its Deepal brand and is responsible for the chassis and electronics.
In addition to the fully electric edition, Changan also has a range extender using a petrol engine as a generator to drive the wheels. But only the electric version is coming to Australia.
The car heading across the Tasman has a 78kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery and a 190kW single electric motor driving the rear wheels. Driving range north of 500 kilometres based on WLTP testing is cited. Charging capacity from 30 to 80 percent in just 15 minutes is also cited.
Mazda says the design introduces the next evolution of Mazda’s design philosophy, “Kodo: Soul of Motion”.
Its cites the “smooth, flowing lines and bold features” as giving the car a “strong, yet refined, presence.”
The low roofline and short-deck coupé silhouette offer a sporty look while keeping the functionality of a five-door hatchback, the make says.
Mazda’s “signature design, craftsmanship and meticulously tuned driving performance” is promised.
Mazda NZ has lacked a passenger car of this size since the petrol Mazda6 was dropped at the starts of 2024; since then it has intensified effort into sports utilities and crossovers.
Changan also produces an electric sports utility for Mazda, the EX-60, which it revealed in April.
Mazda NZ now intensively targets the SUV sector and, of course, has tried without success to include an electric model, the MX-30, into that action. The latter has now been dropped from availability here.
The Mazda6e and EX-60 share a common platform and many components. An international version of EZ-60 is planned, to be sold as the CX-6e.
While the SUV’s exterior has some design kinship with existing Mazda models, the interior is a radical departure.
The car divests almost all physical switchgear and instead has a huge 26.45-inch 5K display, effectively serving as both the central touchscreen for multimedia controls and also as an instrument cluster, showing the speedometer and other relevant operational data, as per the Tesla Model 3/Y and the Volvo EX30. Unlike those, it does have a head up display.
The EZ-60 measures 4850mm long, 1935mm wide and 1620mm tall on a 2902mm wheelbase. That makes it larger than a Tesla Model Y and close in overall length to the Toyota Highlander.