Mazda么么直播檚 American EV was a flop. Could these Chinese Mazdas be more popular?
There么么直播檚 no sugar-coating the truth: . Mazda么么直播檚 first EV sold in the U.S. had some endearing elements, but it sold in double-digit amounts and had a number of unforgivable flaws. Since then, it么么直播檚 been crickets other than some vague assurances that EVs are in development. The company does have a few PHEVs on sale here, at least. , EVs are red hot and almost every Western company doing business there has some cooking. Mazda, for example, showed off two electrified vehicles at the Beijing auto show, including the EZ-6 sedan and the Arata SUV concept.
Note that Mazda is hedging bets, even in China. The EZ-6 will be produced as both a pure EV and also as a PHEV, while the handsome Arata isn么么直播檛 close enough to production for Mazda to pin down what will power it. Details on both are light, in any event. What we do know is tantalizing, however.
For one, the EZ-6 is a sedan, and an attractive one at that. Moreover, it will be rear-wheel-drive, and its EV variant will have 50:50 weight distribution. We don么么直播檛 know much about the powertrains themselves, but given Mazda么么直播檚 focus on driving dynamics in even its less-sporty offerings makes us hopeful that the EZ-6 might drive as nicely as it looks.么么直播
And it么么直播檚 a looker, too. While its headlights are somewhat generic, the big grille 么么直播 flanked by a moat of deeply inset, contrasting trim 么么直播 is very Mazda. The flanks are simple, and elegant, recalling the Lucid Air (particularly in the lower door cladding么么直播檚 shape. The abrupt, sporting rear is capped by a low ducktail kick-up on the decklid that can raise electrically, like the spoilers on many Porches. Quad semicircle taillights are embedded in a full-width heckeblende.么么直播
The interior, while handsome, doesn么么直播檛 share a lot of design DNA with Mazda么么直播檚 USDM products, and that is probably due to the fact that it么么直播檚 a product of the Changan Mazda joint venture. Changan owns a 50 percent stake in the venture, and itself produces a dizzying array of vehicles under a number of brands.么么直播
The other vehicle Mazda showed off in Beijing is the Arata SUV, which for all intents and purposes looks like a stylized, exaggerated, concept-ified version of the CX-30 crossover. And it may well be that. But what else it is seems unclear. Changan Mazda calls it a 么么直播渄esign concept model of [an] electrified vehicle.么么直播 So it么么直播檚 a design exercise that may or may not result in a product. But this evolutionary take on the current Kodo design language at least moves the ball forward. With the expected changes for production, it么么直播檇 be a handsome and easily recognizable Mazda EV.么么直播
Beyond that, it doesn么么直播檛 seem to signal much beyond Mazda么么直播檚 intent to continue to invest in Changan Mazda and to align its local Chinese products to the 么么直播渘ew energy vehicle么么直播 push there.