Registrations of interest for the 6e are being taken, with price yet to be shared.

DUE some time after June, the medium hatchback that marks Mazda’s return to the electric car zone will present in a single grade pitching quality and swish design.

The 6e is the first battery-reliant car from the Hiroshima brand since the disastrous MX-30 compact hatch.

It is a totally different kind of effort in look and classification … and also the first to come from a Chinese manufacturer.

It is built and supplied by Mazda’s partner in China, Changan, and is technically more closely related to the Deepal S07 that is not sold in NZ than anything else in the Mazda range.

It will before year-end be joined by a sports utility, the CX-6e, from the same source.

Price remains under wraps but registrations of interest are nonetheless now being taken for the 6e which, as expected, will present solely with in a high-specification bearing the Takami badge applied to the flagship cars Mazda develops fully in house in Japan.

Potential rivals for the model, which styling-wise sets out to evoke association with the Mazda 6 petrol cars dropped from here several years ago after interest dwindled, seem most likely going to include product across the $50,000 to $80,000 band.

The spec settled on for NZ seems to be equivalent to the higher of two being offered in Australia, behind the Atenza badge. It’s just under $64,000 there on current exchange rate.

They might turn out to be the Hyundai Ioniq 6 - which is re-issuing soon in an updated form - plus some others from China. Both from domestic brands and international marques that now build there.

They could include the $58,990 and upward BYD Seal, the entry $54,990 version of the just-landed Dongfeng 007, and the class barometer Tesla Model 3, a past strong seller that has these days become a very low volume choice, trailing behind the Model Y.

The Tesla starts around $63,900 in the entry Premium form that compares most closely to the Mazda at technical level, but might seem less well-equipped in specification.

The 6e is presenting with a single motor, 190kW/290Nm rear drive format taking a 78kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery that is attested to deliver a combined WLTP range of 560km, with confidence 10-80 percent charging on a 195kW DC charger will take 24 minutes.

This is different to other markets, which use an 80kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery paired with a 180kW electric motor, or a 68.8kWh LFP battery and 190kW motor.

Model 3 Premium is also rear-drive, has 520kms range and runs a 208kW/350Nm rear-set motor. Tesla does not share battery sizes, but the entry car runs an LFP unit thought one around 60kWh capacity. It charges up to 170kW DC.

The 6e’s back story is one Mazda here does not seem keen to dwell on.

Rather, Auckland-based Mazda NZ is seeking to engender it is a Mazda at heart, with good global influence and driving feel it is hinting should be more involving than China Inc prefers.

It is enforcing how the 6e has received specialised technical tuning from Mazda Research Europe, in Frankfurt, Germany.

A media share today said the car aims to afford “an engaging driving experience” saying “the suspension, steering and braking systems have been carefully calibrated to ensure European and Australasian driver preferences are well catered for.”

They are also suggesting the craftsmanship often touted as a ingredient of its Japan-sourced product also evidences in the 6e.

While the shape is very reminiscent of the Mazda6, the 6e doesn’t adhere entirely to Japanese design logics. For instance, it is the first current-generation Mazda with a steering column-mounted gear selector.

However, it might also serve to be the first Mazda here that can be opened, locked and temperature-controlled with a spine app.

Mazda here points to the low roofline and short-deck coupe silhouette offering “a sporty and stylish look while at the same time keeping the functionality of a five-door hatchback”.

It reckons design details including frameless doors and a bold lighting signature create a seamless and modern appearance.

Premium materials in the cabin run to tan Nappa leather with artificial suede cloth woven fabric seat trim. A 14.6-inch touchscreen and a 10.2-inch instrument set are complemented by an augmented reality head-up display.

Safety-wisde, it has smart Brake Support for turning across traffic with pedestrian and cyclist detection, as well as Front and Rear Cross Traffic Alert. Driver Monitoring is also included, but Mazda is promising it is tailored to be less obtrusive than is the norm in China market cars.

With the EV sector in markedly depressed state, Mazda is not up to sharing any volume expectation, but has suggested the 6e can be seen as a “perfect car in the age of electrification.”