Mazda has moved on from the niche MX-30 crossover, reshuffling its fully electric lineup in China and select global markets, though not North America, with the 6e sedan and the CX-6e SUV. The two mechanically related EVs arrived in quick succession, yet a senior Mazda Europe executive says there is a noticeable development gap between them, largely due to the steep learning curve that came with partnering up with Changan.

Christian Schultze, Director of Technology Research at Mazda Europe, explained the process in an interview with AutoRAI. Both models are heavily based on the Deepal L07 sedan and S07 SUV from Changan’s dedicated EV brand, adapted for global markets under the Mazda joint venture.

Bridging Cultures Through Engineering

So what actually separates the Mazda 6e, launched in 2024, from the CX-6e that arrived a year later? According to Schultze, progress came in increments.

More: Mazda Secretly Built A V6 MX-5, Then Killed It Over One Ugly Problem

“I’d say we’ve taken another half-step forward. The 6e was the first joint development with our partner Changan Mazda Automobile for a car that would be sold in Europe. That was a huge learning experience for them, because they had never before developed a car specifically for the European market. It was also a learning experience for us, because we suddenly had to explain much more than we were used to heading into Hiroshima.”

Schultze explained that while the R&D center in Hiroshima works seamlessly with the European team, adding Changan Mazda Automobile changed the dynamic. The shared understanding required for such projects had to be built from the ground up, a process that took more time and effort than Mazda initially expected.

More: New Mazda MX-5 NE Isn’t Going Electric, But It’s Not Staying Pure Either

Despite looking almost identical to the Chinese-spec Mazda EZ-6 sedan and EZ-60 SUV, the European versions had to meet different regulations. That proved challenging for engineers unfamiliar with European requirements.

“When we develop a car together with Hiroshima, we essentially already get about 98 percent of what we’re looking for. Then it’s mainly just fine-tuning here and there. With Changan Mazda Automobile, we had to go much further back to basics,” he said.

“For example, they had never created a setup for European radar systems. We had to explain the requirements and why they were important. What we appreciated was how quickly they responded and how willing they were to understand. But we first have to convey that understanding.”

The SUV Is More Mature

Despite the early hurdles, the knowledge gained from the 6e program helped Mazda refine the CX-6e.

Schultze noted that the SUV’s electric motor is a “further development,” offering “greater efficiency and a higher continuous power output” than the sedan. That fits with Mazda’s philosophy of making each new model incrementally better.

More: Mazda’s Rotary Sports Coupe Plan Faces A Roadblock It Can’t Engineer Around

The Mazda 6e sedan currently sold in mainland Europe and the UK produces 255 hp (190 kW / 258 PS) in Standard Range form and 241 hp (180 kW / 245 PS) in Long Range trim. The CX-6e retains the higher output with the larger 80 kWh battery.

Lessons Beyond One Platform

Schultze confirmed that R&D lessons from the Changan joint venture will influence future EVs built on Mazda-developed architecture.

“We’re pursuing a strategy where we collaborate with partners, for example, in the field of electric vehicles, and develop our own electric models. Our roadmap shows that one of the next EVs will be based on a fully Mazda-owned platform. Moreover, our insights are growing every day, thanks in part to market feedback. For example, we learned a lot from the reactions to the Mazda 3, and those insights have been incorporated into our internal objectives. The same applies to the lessons we’re learning from the CX-6e.”

More: This SUV Just Did Something Only Two Other Mazdas In History Have Ever Done

He also highlighted how modern technology allows continuous improvement without waiting for a facelift or full generational change.

“The great advantage of today’s world is that many systems are digital or electronic. This means we can implement improvements even during ongoing production. In the past, in the purely mechanical world, if a switch felt too heavy, it would stay that way for four years until the next model change. Fortunately, those days are behind us.”

When Mazda rolled out the gorgeous Iconic SP concept in 2023, the enthusiast collective brain immediately screamed “new RX-7 confirmed!” Now yet another interview with Mazda execs is gently fanning those flames again, but serving it with a generous helping of cold financial reality.

In a recent chat, Mazda insiders made it clear the idea of a rotary sports car is not locked in a dusty basement drawer and that the company’s workforce would love to crank out a new RX-7-style flagship.

Related: Mazda’s RX-7 Successor Meets The One Problem It Can’t Engineer Away

“The amount of car enthusiasts in this company is insane,” Mazda Europe’s planning chief Moritz Oswald told Auto Express. “Everybody loves cars, so of course there is a deep desire to keep on launching emotional products.”

Profit Is The Priority

The problem is passion doesn’t usually balance spreadsheets, and while no one doubts Mazda could deliver a great $100k sports car, guaranteeing that it would sell in sufficient quantities to make a decent profit is another matter altogether.

“So are we looking into [the Iconic SP]? Yes, of course,” Oswald continued. “But again, we are also a company that has to bring in revenues,” he aded, making clear that the MX-5 is “still our halo car.”

Christian Schultze of Mazda Europe’s R&D team also poured water on the RX-7 dream in the same Auto Express story, stating that “Mazda stands for cars for ordinary people,” not wealthy Porsche owners.

True rotary sports car

But Schultze did hint that if Mazda ever did build something like the SP, it could have a much better powertrain setup than the concept, which used its rotary engine only as a generator to power the 365 hp (272 kW / 370 PS) electric motors that turned the car’s road wheels.

“If you want to have it more sporty then maybe you look rotary plus a more sporty oriented hybrid, more parallel hybrid rather than a series hybrid,” said Schultze. “Because people who cherish the engine, they want to feel the power of the engine directly, not only listen to it.”

What Happened To “Coming Soon”?

This downbeat, pragmatic intel from Mazda Europe paints a very different picture of the SP’s future than the one presented by Masashi Nakayama, Mazda’s design chief, in November 2024.

“This concept is not just one of those empty show cars,” Nakayama said at the time. “It has been designed with real intent to turn it into a production model in the not-so-distant future.”

What feels more realistic to us is the Iconic SP acting as a design preview for the next MX-5. Not the full rotary fantasy, maybe, but still a pretty tasty compromise. And last year’s 503 hp (375 kW / 510 PS) Vision X four-door coupe concept hinted that we could still see a performance rotary powertrain in the near future, though probably not in a two-seat sports car.

Mazda

Mazda has taken its time getting into the EV game, aside from the underwhelming and slow-selling MX-30. But now, it finally has a compelling electric sedan in the lineup in the form of the new 6e, which has just landed in the UK. There’s a bit of sticker shock, though, especially when you compare it to pricing in China, where it’s built and sold as the EZ-6 alongside the EZ-60 SUV.

A single electric powertrain setup will be offered for UK buyers, though shoppers can choose between two trim levels. The entry-level version, dubbed the Takumi, is priced at £38,995 (around $53,200 at today’s exchange rates), landing just shy of the €44,900 (US$53,400) starting price in Germany.

Read: Mazda’s Sportier 6e Sedan Launches With A Price Tag That Feels Like A Typo

On the surface,this pricing doesn’t seem too far off the mark. An entry-level Tesla Model 3 starts at £37,990 ($51,900) in the UK, and the Mazda wants to be positioned as a slightly more premium offering. Even so, the UK price tag looks far less compelling when held up against what customers in China are paying.

Twice The Price, Same Car

In the People’s Republic, where the 6e is built, the entry-level model starts at 159,800 yuan (£16,900 / $23,100), and the flagship model at 181,800 yuan (£19,300 / $26,300). By comparison, UK buyers are being asked to pay more than twice the price for the same vehicle. Specifically, 2.3 times more.

This discrepancy may come as a shock to many buyers, but it’s not without precedent, as it’s common for EVs built and sold in China to be far cheaper there than they are in overseas markets.

However, keep in mind that, that, unlike mainland Europe, the UK doesn’t impose specific tariffs on Chinese cars. There’s just the standard 10 percent import duty, plus a 20 percent VAT on all new vehicles, no matter where they’re made. That tax is included in the advertised price, unlike in the US.

Battery and Charging Basics

Both trim levels of the 6e sold in the UK come with a 78 kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery, offering a solid driving range of 348 miles (560 km) and the ability to charge from 10-80 percent in 24 minutes.

The 6e doesn’t promise to be a particularly spritely performer, however, as the rear-mounted electric motor is only good for 254 hp and 214 lb-ft (290 Nm) of torque, meaning the sedan needs 7.9 seconds to hit 62 mph (100 km/h).

The higher-end Takumi Plus starts at £39,995 ($54,600) and adds more upscale finishes, including tan Nappa leather, titanium-look accents, synthetic suede upholstery, and a panoramic glass roof.

Despite appearances, the Mazda6e isn’t a purely in-house creation from Hiroshima. It’s based on the Changan Deepal SL03 (also known as the L07), sharing its platform and much of its core engineering with the Chinese model.

It appears you can add Mazda to the growing list of automakers that have delayed electric vehicles in the wake of lower than expected demand. According to reports out of Japan, the company’s first dedicated EV has been pushed back until at least 2029.

Details are still murky, but Autonews cites Nikkei and Nikkan Jidosha as saying that production has been delayed by at least two years. Instead, the company will reportedly turn its attention to more popular hybrids.

More: Mazda’s New EV Caught Testing In America

While a spokesperson said Mazda hasn’t officially announced anything, they didn’t exactly deny the reports either. Quite the opposite, as in a statement to Autonews, they said, “We continue to advance the technological development of our proprietary BEVs based on our multi-solution strategy, and will determine the timing of their introduction while carefully assessing regulatory trends in each country and changes in customer needs.”

This suggests launch plans are still up in the air and could slip beyond 2027.

Test Mule Raises Questions

Baldauf

This is an interesting development as spy photographers snapped a mule undergoing testing in California late last year. The model wore a heavily modified CX-70 or CX-90 body and featured a fully enclosed grille as well as blocked off air curtains. The vehicle was said to be roughly the same size as the CX-50, but narrower than the body suggested.

Little is known about the EV at this point, but it’s slated to ride on the Skyactiv EV Scalable Architecture. The platform was originally announced in 2021 and was supposed to be introduced last year.

That obviously didn’t happen and it appears plans to introduce several vehicles on the architecture between 2025 and 2030 are also in jeopardy. These were set to include “various vehicle sizes and body types.”

However, the situation has changed significantly in the past few years. In the United States alone, the Trump administration has enacted steep new tariffs and eliminated the clean vehicle tax credit. The latter has caused a significant drop in EV sales and a rethink by many automakers.

Nevertheless, Mazda isn’t giving up on electric vehicles as the company recently introduced the CX-6e in Europe. It’s a Chinese collaboration with joint-venture partner Changan, and the model has a lot in common with the Deepal S07.