Mazda6 seeks gain in shrinking sector
Reprints
Print
Respond
Mazda hopes to have a bigger impact in the shrinking mid-sized segment with the new Mazda6. Buyers are increasingly switching to crossovers from sedans. As a result, European sales of mid-sized cars dropped by 13 percent to 751,805 last year, according to researchers JATO Dynamics.
The Mazda6 was No. 12 in the segment with sales down 31 percent to 19,346 last year. Mazda hopes a sleek, elegant design and new safety and fuel-saving technologies will lift volume of the third-generation Mazda6, which is the brand's flagship.
The company says the sedan and wagon versions will have spacious interiors as well as segment-leading rear legroom and knee clearance. The Mazda6 will offer Mazda's Smart City Brake Support, which helps to avoid a frontal collision at low speeds by automatically activating the brakes.
What's bad: Interior styling and perceived quality do not match rivals.
Base price: 24,990 euros (Germany).
Where built: Hiroshima, Japan.
Annual sales forecast: 39,000 (Europe).
Lowest CO2 emissions: 129g/km.
Main rivals: VW Passat, Opel/Vauxhall Insignia, Toyota Avensis, Ford Mondeo.
New technology: First Mazda with i-ELOOP brake energy regeneration that boosts economy by up to 10%.
