Mazda is preparing to launch a new electric (but also hybrid) sedan on the European market, ready to compete with rivals of the caliber of the BMW i4 and Tesla Model 3. The protagonist of this offensive will be the new EZ-6: it was presented at the Beijing Motor Show last April as the electric successor to the mid-sized Mazda 6, and is produced by the joint venture that the Japanese manufacturer shares with Changan in China.
Mazda EZ-6: ready for Europe
As highlighted by Autocar, Mazda had previously given no indication of plans to sell the EZ-6 outside of China, but it is now understood to have signed a “Cooperation Agreement for the Export of Electric Vehicles“ precisely with the JV that it shares with the Chinese Changan, which will become not only its exclusive Chinese centre of research and development of new energies but also its production base for the global market.
Coming in the fall
In fact, the new EZ-6 will be Mazda’s first global electric model. The timing? The Japanese carmaker itself has announced that it will arrive on the Chinese and European markets from autumn 2024so in a few months. We remind you that Mazda currently sells only one electric model in Europe, namely the MX-30 compact SUV, and the arrival of a zero-emissions sedan the size of the EZ-6 could turn the tables.
Prices: watch out for duties
At the moment we do not know what the selling prices of the model will be, what is certain is that electric vehicles built in China are now subject to import tariffs significant in the EU: in concrete terms, Changan-built cars will be hit with duties of 20.8%, which, again according to Autocar, makes it unlikely that the EZ-6 will be seen as a worthy alternative to traditional rivals. Recall that this electric sedan is technically unrelated to any Mazda model on sale today, being based on a modular platform supplied by Changan called EPA.
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