Mazda6 lineup to retire in mid-April

Mazda will be discontinuing its ‘6’ model in Japan in mid-April, wrapping up local production and selling out any leftover stock.

The Mazda6 debuted in May 2002. On its domestic market, the car was sold under the name ‘Atenza’. Commenting on the discontinuation, Mazda emphasizes that both the sedan and the wagon version used to be fairly popular throughout their three generations on the market, but the overall sales weren’t too good. Only around 226,000 vehicles had found owners over more than two decades.

According to Kazuyoshi Todo, the company’s Sales Director in Japan, the gap left by the Mazda6 will be filled by CX-series crossovers. It remains unclear whether a new sedan will arrive to succeed the model number six. Mazda plans to stop taking orders for the car as soon as it sells out the next batch planned for production.

Last fall, media in Japan reported that Mazda was preparing a conceptual saloon riding on the same platform as its most recent SUVs. They also claimed that it was a RWD car envisioned with a selection of inline-six engines. However, these leaks have never been confirmed by Mazda itself and remain rumors to this day.