Mazda floats third and fourth Changan-built EVs as 6e and CX-6e launch in Australia

Talks begin on additional Changan-built Mazdas

Mazda Australia is considering further battery electric models developed with Changan beyond the 6e sedan and CX-6e SUV now launching locally, GoAuto reports. Managing director Vinesh Bhindi said Mazda's 20-year partnership with Changan Automotive in Nanjing is strong and that the companies have started talking about what other opportunities could exist, while confirming that Mazda Australia will rely more heavily on Changan for BEV products while its in-house development program continues. GoAuto notes an expansion of the Chinese-made BEV range is widely expected to occur in 2027 or 2028, but no third or fourth model has been confirmed for Australia. ¹

The additional models are not confirmed Australian products or launch plans at this stage. Bhindi described the Nanjing site as a fully-fledged Mazda factory within the partnership, using Mazda systems and processes to assemble the Changan-based models, and said the company would continue working to keep Chinese-built Mazda models different from partner-brand products, with more opportunities to keep doing that. ¹

Possible model directions remain open

GoAuto reports that likely targets for an expanded Changan-sourced range include a smaller fully electric SUV than the 4800mm-long CX-6e. Changan already builds its Deepal S05 BEV, roughly 200mm shorter than the CX-6e, in right-hand drive for export, though GoAuto notes a Mazda version would require extensive design, tuning and production resources. A three-row Mazda electric SUV addressing a different opportunity is also flagged, but GoAuto reports Changan does not yet have a clear BEV option for adaptation: its six-seat Deepal S09 three-row SUV uses a petrol range-extender powertrain rather than a BEV system that would suit Mazda's NVES needs. ¹

Bhindi sought to distinguish Changan Mazda vehicles from products sold by Changan's Deepal brand in Australia, which is distributed by Inchcape. He also confirmed Mazda Australia has no interest in adding a hybrid or electric lifestyle ute alongside the BT-50, even though Deepal builds the E07 Multitruck crossover ute sold locally. ¹

The 6e and CX-6e in Australia

Mazda Australia confirmed the all-electric CX-6e crossover SUV for the local lineup in 2026, following the 6e sedan. The CX-6e made its global debut at the Brussels Motor Show on 9 January 2026, adopting Mazda's FUTURE + SOUL x MODERN Kodo-design concept. Mazda Australia said at the time that more details, including pricing and specifications, would be revealed closer to launch, and that Australian specifications may differ from the overseas models shown. ²

GoAuto reports the 6e is priced from $49,990 plus on-road costs, with the CX-6e from $53,990 plus on-road costs. The sedan recorded 693 registrations as sales commenced between July and August, and the CX-6e is expected to be the stronger seller given its crossover shape. Both models compete respectively in the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y segments. GoAuto separately reports the 6e undercuts its Tesla Model 3 rival at that price point. ¹

Mazda's European development team has led the ride and handling work for both models, with Australian testing also carried out, according to GoAuto. Carscoops, citing Mazda Europe's Christian Schultze in an interview with AutoRAI, reports both models are heavily based on Changan's Deepal L07 sedan and S07 SUV, and that the CX-6e's electric motor is a further development offering greater efficiency and higher continuous power output than the sedan's, reflecting lessons from the 6e program. ¹⁴

NVES pressure makes the EVs central

A companion GoAuto report details why the BEVs matter so much to Mazda Australia's bottom line. The brand recorded the highest penalty exposure in the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard's first enforceable period, with an interim second-half 2025 result of 508,517 emissions units theoretically incurring a $25.4 million infringement notice after the make-good period if unaddressed. Headline NVES limits for passenger vehicles and SUVs fall from 92g/km in 2027 to 68g/km in 2028 and 58g/km in 2029, while ute limits fall from 150g/km to 122g/km and 110g/km over the same years. ³

GoAuto estimates that if Mazda sells around 80,000 vehicles in 2027, roughly 24,500 units, or about 31 per cent of sales, would need to be BEVs to reach NVES equilibrium, rising to somewhere north of 40 per cent in 2028 with the CX-5 hybrid arriving that year. These are GoAuto's estimates. The next-generation BT-50 has been locked in as a diesel without a PHEV or BEV option at launch in Australia, and Bhindi told GoAuto the BEVs will give Mazda access to credits while internal-combustion vehicles incur fines on an increasing basis. ³

GoAuto also reports Mazda's January-August 2026 volume of 53,163 vehicles represented a 15.9 per cent year-on-year dip against 91,923 deliveries in 2025, and that sharply priced BEVs are likely to help establish a new source of demand. Bhindi said the 6e and CX-6e will play a bigger role than Mazda Australia planned eight months earlier, helped by growing awareness of the Fringe Benefits Tax waiver on novated leases. ¹

A demand shift amid a fuel crisis

GoAuto reports BEVs accounted for 24.9 per cent of Australian new vehicle registrations in August 2026. Bhindi said the fuel supply crisis, persisting since the Strait of Hormuz crisis began in February this year, had triggered significantly stronger BEV demand and forced Mazda Australia to recalibrate its planning, with consumers now accepting EVs as a viable option and some fence-sitters prompted by expensive petrol and diesel. He cautioned that charging access, travel distances and individual circumstances mean combustion engines still have a clear market. September has seen further price rises due to renewed conflict in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to GoAuto. ¹

In-house EV program pushed back

The reliance on Changan-built models coincides with a delay to Mazda's own EV plans. CarExpert reports Mazda has pushed its next in-house dedicated EV back two years to 2029, with CEO Masahiro Moro saying on a 12 May earnings call that the decision was made before meaningful resources were committed and that no facilities had been written off. CarExpert attributes the delay to tougher tariffs, weaker emissions standards and defunct EV incentives in the US. ⁵

CarExpert further reports Mazda has adjusted its electrification investment from 2 trillion yen (A$17.52 billion) to 1.2 trillion yen (A$10.5 billion), describing the move as a strategic optimisation of selection and concentration. The company plans four Changan JV EVs in total, with the 6e and CX-6e already revealed and confirmed for a 2026 Australian launch, under its Lean Asset Strategy of flexibly using partner assets. By 2030 Mazda aims for EVs to account for 15 per cent of global sales, though CarExpert notes the Changan Mazda EVs are so far only locked in for certain export markets including Australia and Europe, with no sign yet of North American or Japanese availability. ⁵

Carscoops also reports that lessons from the Changan joint venture will influence future EVs built on Mazda-developed architecture, with Schultze saying Mazda's roadmap shows one of the next EVs will be based on a fully Mazda-owned platform. ⁴