Best new Mazdas coming soon

Mazda isn’t one of those car companies that pumps out a new model every other month. The brand seems to enjoy taking its time and doing things its own way, for better or for worse in some cases. Either way, the result is we’re particularly excited when we finally get to see the fruits of Mazda’s labours, and right now it’s working on or mulling over a wide variety of exciting new products. Here is what we’ve got to look forward to: 

Mazda CX-6e

The 6e was the first product of Mazda’s joint venture with Chinese manufacturer Changan to reach our shores, but the second isn’t far behind. The new, rather striking Mazda CX-6e SUV is coming to challenge the Tesla Model Y and Skoda Enyaq, and essentially serve as the zero-emissions alternative to the best-selling Mazda CX-5.

It’s badged as the EZ-60 in China, where the sleek-looking mid-sized SUV is also available with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. But only the EV is coming to the UK. It will feature a 78kWh battery that Mazda says will offer up to 300 miles of range, which is a long way off most of its key rivals.

While the CX-6e might not have the edge over its competition on paper, Mazda promises the car will deliver the type of dynamic driving experience customers expect from the company’s products. However, that’s not the impression we got when we drove the snazzy-looking SUV for the first time recently. Meanwhile, prices start from £42,990, which is more than its key competitors, the Model Y, Enyaq and Smart’s #5.

Mazda MX-5

The next-generation MX-5 ‘NE’ arriving later this decade is still going to feature good old-fashioned petrol power; in fact, it will reportedly feature a brand-new, slightly larger 2.5-litre Skyactiv-Z engine that’s not only engaging to interact with but also meets the latest Euro 7 emissions standards. Lightness is still going to be a key characteristic of the iconic roadster, too. 

However, and this may be hard to hear, the MX-5 might be going electric. The quintessential lightweight sports car, and the antithesis of all the big and bloated EVs on the roads these days, will be available without its signature naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine in the future. 

Mazda has filed patents showing a two-seater drop-top with batteries located in its transmission tunnel, rather than under the floor like a normal EV. This would help an electric MX-5 to retain the low-slung driving position, weight disruption and size that it’s been known for over the decades. 

We’re reluctant to say whether the Mazda MX-5 could be offered with a choice of petrol and electric versions due to the packaging requirements for both, but whatever happens we’re just pleased the beloved sports car is here to stay.

Mazda RX-7 successor

It’s been more than three years since the Mazda Iconic SP concept was unveiled at the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon and made petrolheads around the world weak at the knees. It also gave us the impression that a successor to the brand’s legendary RX-7 was just around the corner, and while that dream hasn’t become reality just yet, it’s not dead either.

“If there's a feasible way to do that, then I'm sure if somebody will do it, it's Mazda, because here the enthusiasts still make things happen,” the brand’s product planning supervisor in Europe, Moritz Oswald, told Auto Express in an exclusive interview. 

“The amount of car enthusiasts in this company is insane,” he added. “Everybody loves cars, so of course there is a deep desire to keep on launching emotional products. So are we looking into that? Yes, of course.”

If the production car looks like the concept it will be a thing of beauty, while underneath the long and very low bonnet we hope to find a rotary-hybrid powertrain. The challenge Mazda faces is making a car like this affordable and attainable for its customers, not a £100,000 Porsche 911 rival. 

Mazda 2

SUVs might make up the majority of Mazda’s sales these days, but the Japanese brand hasn’t given up on the humble supermini. At last year’s Japan Mobility Show, it even gave us a glimpse of what could be the next-generation Mazda 2 in the form of the fabulous Vision X-Compact.

This little show-stopper, finished in Mazda’s classic Soul Red paint, featured rounder and more friendly styling than the current 2. The clean surfacing was a key element of the brand’s Kodo design language, while the subtly flared wheelarches gave the car its purposeful stance. 

The cabin was even more dramatic and suitably sporty, using the same bright red colour as the outside across the dashboard and doors, a simple three-spoke steering wheel, behind which was a big, enticing rev-counter with a red-line of 7,700rpm.

We’re not sure if the production version will rev that freely, but we are expecting it to feature either hybrid or pure-petrol engines, rather than being electric as with most of the new small cars on the horizon. Efficiency will be important, of course, but it’s sure to deliver an engaging driving experience as well, like a proper Mazda should. 

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