The Mazda 6e and CX-6e (also sold as the EZ-6 and EZ-60) are the brand’s latest EVs, built on a Chinese Changan and now rolling out in global markets.
While they look like Mazdas thanks to a unique exterior, under the skin they are undoubtedly not Mazda’s own vehicles, relying heavily on Changan’s technology in a bid to cut development costs for both brands.
Mazda does have its own EV in the works, but Automotive News reports that Japanese publications have claimed this has now been delayed from a 2027 launch to 2029.
A Mazda spokesperson told Automotive News “this information has not been released by our company”, and it continues “to advance the technological development of our proprietary BEVs based on our multisolution strategy and will determine the timing of their introduction while carefully assessing regulatory trends in each country and changes in customer needs”.
According to the reports, the delay centres around recent regulatory changes surrounding vehicle emissions globally, namely in the US and Europe.
The US under the current Trump Administration has not only cancelled federal tax incentives for EVs, but also removed penalties for carmakers who exceeded fleet CO2 limits, all but allowing them to create whatever vehicles they want.
Over in Europe, the controversial ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel passenger vehicles by 2035 was recently repealed, resulting in carmakers being required to reduce their fleet emissions by 90 per cent compared to 2021 levels before the start of 2035.
Automotive News reports Mazda CEO Masahiro Moro had previously expected EVs to account for 25 to 40 per cent of its global sales in 2030, however that figure has since been revised to below 25 per cent, citing the US changes in particular as a factor.
On top of these emissions regulations being a potential stumbling block for Mazda’s in-house EV, the US’s imposed tariffs on foreign-made vehicles – such as the upcoming model – is also understood to be a significant factor.
Mazda has previously built its own in-house EV, however the MX-30 was never a sales success in any market, despite later getting a rotary-powered range-extender powertrain.
In Australia, the 6e has recently gone on sale, while the CX-6e is due here this year.
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