When you think of brands with highly desirable cars, you probably imagine something like a Pagani. Okay, that's a little out of reach for most, so what about more attainable stuff? Infiniti is building a reputation for beautiful cars, and the current Cadillac CT5 is quite a looker too. But when we mentioned brands with desirable models, Mazda was likely never going to feature in your top 10. That's all about to change though. The carmaker has said that the next Mazda 6 will be based on the Mazda Vision Coupe concept, and this is good news in many ways.

We've already seen what the car may look like in earlier renders, and almost a year later, the same styling principles look like they would suit the new 6 to a tee. So why is this going to be a true BMW rival? First of all, it's almost definitely going to be far more beautiful than anything BMW has released recently, and under the hood will be a longitudinal straight-six that is expected to incorporate a mild-hybrid system for a total output of around 350 horsepower. There are also rumors that Toyota will be involved, and since this will see its rear wheels driven and Mazda has developed an excellent reputation for great handling in its FWD cars, the new 6 could be absolutely exquisite.

As for the transmission, we expect some sort of automatic system to be fitted, sadly. Manual cars just don't sell in big enough numbers unless they are performance-focused, but that leads us to the next point: the Vision Coupe shares many styling traits with the even more exciting RX-Vision concept that we hope previews a modern-day RX-7 at some point. If Mazda is still developing combustion engines while much of its competition is starting to lean the other way, an enthusiast car with stunning styling, a strong straight-six, and a manual 'box could be the perfect way for Mazda to make the most of its investment in the new motor. Here's hoping.