I was thinking the other day about this new Mazda 6 that’s due to be unveiled at Frankfurt 2007.
Whilst reading the blogs and looking at spyshots, it’s clear that Mazda’s embargo on its dealer network and the press is working, as very little information is doing the rounds with only the odd quote of “it looks like a Lexus” coming from the privileged few that have clocked eyes on it.
This really is an important launch, you can tell. I mean we knew two years ago about the Mazda Crossport which eventually became the Mazda CX7 and we’ve been teased for a year and half with the impending all new Mazda 2.
The competition in this segment is fierce and has grown since Mazda launched the 6 in the UK back in March 2002, where it simply trashed the opposition. Since it’s launch, a recent Mazda 6 Review reveals the car has won no less than 100 awards globally, 59 of which were won on the battle grounds of Europe.
So get this wrong Mazda and your going to go backwards and i think they know it. Let’s hope this silence is golden.
So where will the current Mazda 6 MPS fit into all of this. From all accounts the car has not really captured the imagination of the petrol heads, drawing them away from their high powered Beamers or Impreza’s. Although it’s a super quick car, handles like on rails and has the build quality of a Rhino, Mazda know that subtle and serenity will never beat brash and bold in the world of high powered sports saloons. And they should know, hell, they are the masters at it.
Unlike its sibling the 3 MPS, which is selling like hotcakes, the 6 MPS will be left between a rock and a very hard place when the all new 6 hits the showrooms. Rumours of a much larger car with more powerful engines, although you can rule the V6 out for the UK thanks to Gordon, are going to leave the 6 MPS with even less identity than it has now.
So here’s my prediction. Mazda will drop the current 6 MPS and relaunch it in the all new Mazda 6 design where it will finally earn some Kudos. That said, whether it will ever join the hall of famers like the MX5, RX7 and RX8 remains to be seen.