Mazda 6 Sedan

Make
Mazda
Segment
Sedan

We were sad to see the Mazda 6 discontinued in the US for 2022, but its long-awaited replacement could be just around the corner. For years, there were been rumors that the Mazda 6 will switch to a new rear-wheel-drive platform and gain new inline-six engines. These rumors have now been confirmed, leaving us waiting with bated breath to see the final product.

According to a new report by Japan's Spyder 7, the long-awaited rear-wheel-drive Mazda 6 will finally arrive in the first half of 2022 in Japan, though a US launch has not been confirmed yet. As expected, the new Mazda 6 will sport a radical new design inspired by the breathtakingly beautiful Mazda Vision Coupe Concept.

Unveiled in 2017, the Mazda Vision Coupe Concept took the form of a sleek four-door coupe with a long hood and a short rear deck. However, whereas the Vision Coupe Concept had four seats, the new Mazda 6 will offer room for up to five occupants. According to the Japanese publication, the new Mazda 6 will gain a new "thin and sharp grille design" that will define the automaker's future design language as well as an H-shaped diffuser.

Under the hood, the new Mazda 6 will reportedly be offered with a 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder turbo Skyactiv-X gasoline engine with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system generating around 350 hp. Mazda has even patented new twin-turbocharger setups using an electric supercharger, which we have no doubt will be included in the new model.

A diesel variant of the six-cylinder Skyactiv-X engine is also planned. For the first time in its model history, the Mazda 6 will also be offered as a plug-in hybrid and a fully electric variant will reportedly join the lineup later in the model's lifecycle.

Mazda will reportedly start producing its new inline-six engines early next year, which would coincide with the launch of the new Mazda 6 in the first half of 2022. With improved performance, stunning looks, and a more luxurious cabin, the new Mazda 6 could be a formidable BMW fighter. We're keeping our fingers crossed that the next-generation Mazda 6 gets the green light for a US launch after it arrives in Japan in the first half of 2022.