Similar pricing and sizing, but a different powertrain and production origin means the Mazda 6e might not appeal to Mazda 6 lovers.
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The Mazda 6e is not designed to succeed the long line of Mazda 6 mid-size sedans that have found fans over the years, according to the brand.
While both share a similar name, price and market position, and sit atop Mazda’s passenger car offerings, the key difference between the two is the move to an all-electric model with the 6e.
This powertrain difference is the biggest hurdle, according to Mazda Australia boss Vinesh Bhindi, in converting old Mazda 6 buyers to the new 6e.
“We will get a lot of fans that say a sedan or hatch-type set-up is my go, and therefore you’ve got one [customer],” Bhindi told Drive.
“Yes, they’ll still have to think about [moving] from an internal combustion engine to EV.
“I think we will resonate with that customer base well, but also there are new generations of customers who are probably more excited about the EV powertrain, but also the technology that comes with it would be of more importance as opposed to what that body size is.
“That’s our research and our guessing at this stage because it’s not a direct replacement from Mazda 6 to this.”
And while Bhindi admitted the buyer profile of the old Mazda 6 would “probably not” transpose to the 6e, he said the nameplate still carries some cred.
“It will appeal to them because, I’ve got to say, since we ceased selling Mazda 6 here, there’s been a lot of communication about ‘I want a sedan, when are you going to get a sedan’,” Bhindi said.
The Mazda 6 was discontinued in early 2025, and was available at that point either a sedan or wagon, with a 2.5-litre petrol or 2.5-litre turbo-petrol engine.
A 2.2-litre twin-turbo diesel was also offered from 2013-2022 in the Mazda 6’s third-generation form.
However, the lineage of the Mazda 6 can be traced to well before 2002, when the first-generation model succeeded the 626 in Australia.
On the other hand, the Mazda 6e is built by Changan Automobile in China from a joint venture between the two brands.
Mazda has applied its own styling to the car, but the drivetrain, battery, and interior technologies are from Changan.
For Australia, the 6e is priced from $49,990 before on-road costs for the GT, rising to $52,990 for the Atenza – both featuring a rear-drive 190kW/290Nm rear-drive electric motor.
This puts it lineball with higher-spec versions of the petrol-powered Mazda 6 when it was available, with the GT SP and Atenza costing $49,190 and $52,590 respectively, both powered by a 173kW/420Nm 2.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels.
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Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
