Yahoo Autos Could the Mazda6 return with rear-wheel-drive and a straight-six?
The Mazda6 retired from the American market after the 2022 model year, and at the time it sounded like a successor wasn't in the pipeline. Mazda may have changed its mind: a recent rumor claims the sedan will return with rear-wheel-drive in the second half of the 2020s.
Citing anonymous sources, Japanese magazine Best Car wrote that the next-generation Mazda6 is currently under development. It shouldn't have happened; the brand planned to pivot away from sedans to focus on crossovers like most of its peers and rivals, but the success of recent, more upmarket additions to the range like the three-row CX-90 reportedly convinced executives to retain a foothold in the segment.
The publication learned that the next-generation 6 will be aimed largely at the North American market, where it will help Mazda cement its newfound premium positioning, though it will also be sold in other markets such as Japan (where the current-generation model remains available). Visually, it will eschew the traditional three-box design and instead adopt a sleek-looking, fastback-like silhouette; this should ensure it doesn't get overshadowed by crossovers like the CX-90. Its front end will fall in line with the brand's Kodo design language.
