Mazda 6 may drop hatch

Set for a world debut unveiling at the Moscow motor show next month before the full range is seen in Paris, the new Mazda 6 has kept plenty of the Takeri in its looks.

That's a good thing for those who want something from the medium car segment that looks good - Mazda is aiming for style, comfort and luxury in a package that is agile and responsive, the company says.

An Australian arrival is likely early next year but reports from the Tokyo motor show that the hatch has been deleted from the line-up have not been squashed. Mazda design staff all but confirmed the hatch bodystyle had fallen victim to the rationalised range during the Tokyo motor show last year, but Mazda staffers steadfastly refuse to confirm that at this stage.

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The Mazda6 range has been paired back - the 6 we have in Australia is a smaller version of the car Mazda exports to certain markets, but the next 6 will be a global car, hence its increase in size. It will also be produced outside Japan, including Russia, which explains the Moscow unveiling.

The Russian show car will be a two-litre six-speed Skyactiv petrol model, while the Takeri concept in Tokyo was the Skyactiv-D 2.2-litre turbodiesel 129kW/420Nm 2.2-litre front wheel drive, with the "i-stop" start-stop fuel saver system and i-ELOOP regenerative braking system, the latter debuting in production on the next 6 . 

Mazda Australia's Steve Maciver says the new 6 was expected to be a halo model for the range and bring the next generation of Skyactiv to the market, but wasn't going into details. 

"More of the line-up and the first drive will happen at the Paris Motor Show ... more will be revealed about the car there." Mr Maciver wasn't expanding on what drivetrains would be on offer - "there will be a variety of engines for Mazda6, we'll choose the right drivetrains for the Australian market." "The sedan is what we're talking about right now, there will be obviosuly more than just a sedan in the line-up, Paris will be the debut of the other bodystyle - you'll see the whole line-up at Paris," 

The current line-up has both petrol and diesel drivetrains on offer, but the current 6 diesel was hamstrung by the absence of an automatic, something that is expected to change. The new CX-5 SUV has a diesel automatic AWD model on offer, but Mr Maciver would not be drawn on model line-up or sales volume details.

"6 remains a very important car for Mazda, it's one of the car's responsible for the Zoom Zoom revival of our brand, it is not going to be a massive volume seller like the 3 or the CX-5, we expect it to have a halo effect that is a style leader and bringing new technology - the 6 will take the technology and style of the CX-5 to the next level," he says.