The CX-6e will sell alongside the 6e, a sedan on a common platform with the same drivetrain. Both are here before end of 2026.

COMING back, ready or not - the depressed state of the electric vehicle sector isn’t dissuading Mazda from determining to double its effort in a return to that zone.

Having confirmed in November that it will sell an electric sedan out of China, the 6e, here from late this year, the Auckland-domicled make has today announced intent to add in a mechanically-similar platform-sharing crossover sports utility spin-off, the CX 6e, also landing before December 31.

Both cars come out of China, being products resulting from a partnership with the Changan brand, which also makes the same products but with slightly different styling to sell under its Deepla brand. The marque is in Australia but has yet to show in New Zealand.

Mazda NZ has been out of the EV sector since it quietly divested the MX-30 over a year ago. That type also sold in plug in and hybrid formats in addition to full electric; none resonated with the market.

The CX-6e was originally for China only, but was displayed at the recent Brussels motor show, where the brand revealed it would be going global.

Mazda NZ has yet to reveal how many versions of the 6e sedan and CX6e it might sell, or for what price. The passenger car is effectively an electric equivalent of the Mazda6 that sold here in petrol form until 2024 and the CX-6e will be the first all electric crossover within its SUV clan, in which the CX-5 achieves most volume.

The CX-6e might be construed by some as a battery alternate to the CX-5, which is set to continue with international combustion, with a new generation with the same four-cylinder petrol offered presently coming later this year.

However, the dimensions shared by Mazda today - length of 4850mm, width of 1935mm and height of 1670mm - makes it slightly larger than a CX-60, a six-cylinder in the size category to CX-5.

The long wheelbase of 2.9 metres means that there's plenty of rear seat space, plus there's a useful 484-litre boot.

CX-6e will start sale in Europe soon with a single rear mounted motor making 190kW and 290Nm, with marriage to a 78kWh Lithium-Ferro-Phosphate (LFP)battery that delivers a driving range of up to 483km, when measured using the WLTP test cycle.

That’s the same drivetrain that also goes into the 6e sedan, but driving range is slightly lower. This gives the CX-6e a 0-100kmh time of 7.9 seconds, and a top speed of 185kmh.

With both cars Mazda claims a maximum DC charge rate of 195kW, which allows for 10-80 percent charge in 24 minutes, and AC charging peaks at 11kW.

As with the 6e, the CX-6e signals Mazda’s intent to move from the combination of small screens and physical buttons and towards bigger screens and more haptic and gesture involvement.

The CX-6e’s screen is a 26-inch whopper, designed to allow driver and front-seat passenger to use it (each achieves their own zone). It has the usual Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and connection to Mazda's own smartphone app.

The safety package includes nine airbags, as well as a network of high-definition cameras, millimetre-wave radar and ultrasonic sensors to enhance visibility and awareness. That’s a technology leap for Mazda, but so are the wing mirrors - on the car shown in Brussels, these are cameras.