Mazda 6's rear-drive replacement gets sportier

A sports version of the Mazda EZ-6 electric liftback – the effective replacement for the Mazda 6 sedan and wagon dropped from the Australian lineup earlier this year – has been revealed.

The Mazda EZ-6 Sports Edition comes with sharper looks than the regular version, led by an illuminated Mazda logo as well as red brake calipers and gloss-black 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin tyres. Gloss black exterior detailing includes the mirror caps and bumpers, as wheel as wheel arch surrounds – with a boot-mounted lip spoiler adding to the sports flavour.

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The cabin sees Alcantara seat trim and red stitching on the seats and steering wheel, which also has a red ‘straight ahead’ marking at its base.

Red ambient lighting and a 14.5-inch centre screen, augmented reality head-up display, and 14-speaker Sony stereo are also standard.

The EZ-6 Sports Edition has only been announced for China showrooms only so far, but the Mazda is also being introduced in Europe and the United Kingdom where it’ll be known as the Mazda 6e.

Despite being made in right-hand drive, Mazda Australia has yet to announce the 6e/EZ-6 for our market in any spec.

Specs for the EZ-6 Sports Edition for China have not been announced, with Car News China suggesting it may be a cosmetic pack available in a choice of extended-range or battery electric powertrains offered across the range.

The extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) version offers a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a 160kW rear-axle mounted motor, with a claimed 3.6L/100km fuel economy enabling total driving range of 1301km on the CLTC cycle.

The battery-electric EZ-6 uses a 190kW electric motor with a smaller battery offering 480km of CLTC electric-only range and a larger optional battery improving range to 600km.

Pricing above the standard EZ-6 in China is yet to be announced.

The Mazda 6 – a rival to the Toyota Camry, Hyundai Sonata and Honda Accord – left Australian showrooms in 2025 after being on sale here for 23 years.

The model was axed after Australian Design Rule 98/00, mandating autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems meeting specific technical requirements across all new vehicles on sale, came into effect in March 2025.

Mazda Australia sold 1354 Mazda6s in 2024, its final full year on sale. The nameplate’s best sales result was 2005, when 14,783 were sold.

The Mazda 6 had already been discontinued in most markets, leaving the EZ-6/6e – a Chinese-built vehicle riding a platform developed by Mazda’s joint-venture partner Changan – as its natural successor.

However, Mazda CEO Masahiro Moro recently confirmed the company is weighing a six-cylinder Mazda 6 successor – likely on the rear/all-wheel drive Large Architecture used by its new larger SUVs – but has yet to lock it in.