Mazda Drops Mazda6 From Japanese Lineup

The Dearborn-based automaker surrendered control of the Hiroshima-based automaker in 2008 by selling a 20% stake in Mazda. The Ford Motor Company reduced its ownership to 3% in 2010, then divested its remaining shares in 2015.

Mazda redesigned the Mazda6 from the ground up in 2012. Unveiled at the Moscow International Auto Show, the third generation features the Mazda Skyactiv platform, Skyactiv transmissions, and – of course – Skyactiv engines. The United States didn't receive the 2.2-liter turbo diesel, and Mazda couldn't make a case for the wagon either.

2021 was the final year of the 6 in the US market, and with it, Mazda discontinued the CX-3 subcompact crossover as well. Over in the United Kingdom, the 6 was canned in early 2023. Turning our attention back to the automaker's domestic market, Mazda claims that over 226,000 units of the Atenza/6 have been produced for the Japanese market since 2002.

Going forward, the mid-size sedan and longroof will be indirectly replaced by the CX series of crossovers. The smallest of the bunch is the CX-3, followed by the CX-30, CX-5, and CX-8. At the other end of the spectrum, the largest crossover is the CX-60. You can think of it as the narrow-body, two-row version of the CX-90 for North America. The CX-60 will get a North American brother this year in the form of the CX-70, which is likely going to reach showrooms for the 2025 model year.

Mazda's Japanese configurator lists the Mazda6 Sedan with a starting price of 2,962,300 yen or 19,995 dollars at current exchange rates. By comparison, the 2021 model year Mazda6 Sedan for the United States of America went on sale in late 2020 at 24,325 dollars for the lowliest grade.

Curiously enough, the wagon is listed with the very same ¥2,962,300 starting price as the sedan. The main specifications are dubbed 20S and 25S, with 20 standing for 2.0 liters of displacement and 25 for 2.5 liters. The gas-fueled engines are joined by the XD, which means Skyactiv-D turbo diesel.

There's no manual transmission to speak of, and that shouldn't really come as a surprise. A torque-converter auto with six forward gears will have to suffice. In the rear-biased CX-60 and CX-90, the only transmission available is an eight-speed unit.

The Japanese company hasn't confirmed a replacement for the third-gen Mazda6, but word on the street is that Mazda is working on a rear-biased car based on the Large Product Group architecture of the CX-60 and CX-90. However, there's increasing evidence to suggest that the Mazda6 will be canned for good in the nearest of futures.