Japanese carmaker Mazda on Wednesday confirmed pricing and specifications for the new 6e battery electric vehicle (BEV) which will land in Australia in July and start from $49,990 (before on-road costs).
Following the short-lived experiment with the Mazda MX-30 – which debuted in 2019 but was discontinued in Australia after only two years due to its lacklustre specifications which were headlined by a measly 200 kilometres (km) of range – Mazda Australia is billing its new 6e as its “first mainstream electric vehicle”.
Already available for pre-order at Mazda dealers across the country, the Mazda 6e is built on the EPA1 architecture developed by its Chinese based Changan Mazda 50:50 joint venture with Changan Automobile – the same architecture that the Deepal L07 is built on.
The five-door hatchback features a long roofline and short-deck coupé silhouette on a 2,895mm wheelbase.
A rear-wheel-drive electric motor delivers up to 190 kW of power and a maximum of 290 Nm of torque, with a driving range of 580 km (WLTP) thanks to a 78 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery and combined energy consumption of 15.9 kWh/100km. The Mazda 6e is also capable of DC fast charging, which can take it from 30 to 80 per cent in as little as fifteen minutes, using a CCS Type-2 connection.
The Mazda 6e will be available in Australia in two model grades – the entry-level GT and the flagship Atenza, both of which, according to Mazda, “offer an irrefutable value proposition” with a litany of features.
Both models feature a 10.2-inch TFT LCD multi-meter display and 14.6-inch central touchscreen display, augmented-reality active driving display, advanced keyless entry and a Bluetooth key, and Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Safety features include blind spot monitoring (BSM) with vehicle exit warning, lane support features including lane departure warning (LDW), lane-keep assist (LAS), and lane departure prevention (LDP), and smart brake support (SBS).
Other highlights include 19-inch alloy wheels and a premium Sony Audio system with 14 speakers.
The Atenza model, however, adds tan leather and synthetic suede seats with quilted stitching, two-tone tan/black leather steering wheel, and tan synthetic suede dashboard and door trims.
Pricing (manufacturer’s list price, or MLP) starts from $49,990 for the Mazda 6e GT, and for the added interior upgrades of the Atenza you’ll be paying $52,990, with both prices before on-road costs.
With first deliveries expected to begin in July and pre-orders already open, Mazda has also launched a limited pre-order offer which will see the first 300 customers to pre-order a Mazda 6e GT receive a complimentary upgrade to the Mazda 6e Atenza.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.