Electric Mazda 6 successor coming? ‘Mazda 6e’ name trademarked in Europe

The Mazda 6 sedan and wagon could live on with all-electric power.

Mazda applied to trademark the ‘Mazda 6e’ and '6e' names with the European Union Intellectual Property Office on March 18, 2024, to protect its use for “automobiles and their parts” and “electric cars and their parts”.

The brand has not confirmed a new-generation version of the Mazda 6 – and the current model has been axed in North America, Europe, the United Kingdom and Japan due to dwindling midsize passenger car sales.

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However, an electric successor to the current Mazda 6 – which has been on sale for 12 years – would provide Mazda with a rival to the Tesla Model 3, Polestar 2 and BYD Seal.

It would also compete with premium midsize electric cars like the BMW i4 and soon-to-arrive Mercedes-Benz CLA EV.

Mazda currently offers two electric vehicles – the MX-30 EV and the China-only CX-30 EV.

The MX-30 Electric was axed in Australia in late 2023 due to "Mazda Corporation’s strategy to welcome a range of new electrified models between now and 2025 – including hybrid electric vehicles, PHEVs and BEVs".

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Mazda North America CEO Tom Donnelly told Automotive News [↗] last year that the brand would launch a new EV in the United States in 2025 with an existing nameplate – but it will be an SUV like the CX-5 or CX-50.

While the Mazda 6 lives on in Australia for now, its future remains unclear as buyers move into SUV models including the CX-30, CX-5 and CX-60 – along with the one-size-smaller Mazda 3 sedan.

In 2022, Mazda executives told Wheels a new 6 is a low priority as it would require a different platform to the rear-biased Large Architecture that underpins the CX-60, CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90 models.

“The vehicle height [of a Mazda 6] will be lower than the SUVs, so I don’t think we can apply exactly the same platform for those vehicles. This Large Architecture is designed mainly for SUVs,” said Mazda’s head of design Akira Tamatani.

Mazda’s Chinese division has teased two mystery sedans that will offer battery-electric and plug-in hybrid options – one of which could replace the current Mazda 6, at least in that market.

Both vehicles could be based on Mazda’s ‘SkyActiv Multi-Solution Scalable Architecture’ – or a unique China-specific platform shared with Mazda’s partner Changan Automotive.

Autohome [↗] reports Mazda recently applied for two additional trademarks in China: ‘EZ-6’ and ‘EZ-60’.

The first model, codenamed J90A, could debut at the 2024 Beijing Auto Show late next month with all-electric or extended-range petrol-electric options.

It is currently unclear if this new model will be offered outside of China, as Autohome states it’ll be based on Changan’s ‘EPA hybrid platform’ rather than one of Mazda’s own architectures.