Mazda weighing third and fourth Changan-built EVs as 6e and CX-6e reach Australia

Two more Chinese-built EVs on the table

Mazda's headquarters is working with its 20-year Chinese joint-venture partner Changan Automotive in Nanjing on possible third and fourth battery electric models to sit alongside the 6e and CX-6e, which are launching in Australia now, GoAuto reports. The additional vehicles are under consideration, not confirmed for the Australian market, with an expansion of the Chinese-made BEV range widely expected to occur in 2027 or 2028. ¹

Mazda Australia managing director Vinesh Bhindi told GoAuto: "Our 20-year partnership with Changan Automotive in Nanjing is a strong partnership. We have started talking about what other opportunities could be there." Asked whether Mazda Australia would rely more heavily on Changan for BEV products while its in-house electric development program continues, he answered, "Absolutely". He noted the two current BEVs "will play a bigger role as we move forward than we probably planned eight months ago". ¹

Bhindi also sought to distinguish Changan Mazda vehicles from products sold by Changan's Deepal brand in Australia, which is distributed by Inchcape. He described the Nanjing site as a fully-fledged Mazda factory within the partnership, using Mazda systems and processes to assemble the Changan-based models, with Mazda's Frankfurt-based European development team leading ride and handling work for both models and Australian testing also carried out. ¹

Fuel price shock lifts BEV demand

In the same interview, Bhindi attributed a recalibration of Mazda's planning to the fuel supply crisis that has persisted since the Strait of Hormuz crisis began in February this year. He said the crisis had triggered significantly stronger demand for BEVs: "Consumers have started to accept EV as a viable option in their lifestyle." He added that prolonged fuel supply uncertainty had prompted some fence-sitters to consider BEVs, while cautioning that access to charging, travel distances and individual circumstances meant combustion engines still had a clear market. He also said the tax advantages of the Fringe Benefits Tax waiver for novated leasing customers had become clearer to more people. ¹

The report states that in August 2026 BEVs accounted for 24.9 per cent of Australian new vehicle registrations, while September saw petrol and diesel prices escalate sharply due to renewed conflict in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, causing further damage to oil refinement and transport infrastructure. ¹

Pricing and early sales of the 6e and CX-6e

The 6e sedan is priced from $49,990 plus on-road costs and, according to GoAuto, recorded 693 registrations as sales commenced between July and August. The CX-6e starts from $53,990 plus on-road costs and is expected to be the stronger seller of the two given its crossover shape. The 6e competes in the Tesla Model 3 segment and the CX-6e in the Model Y segment. ¹

The models fill a gap in Mazda's Australian line-up. CarExpert notes Mazda's disappointing MX-30 small electric SUV is dead in most markets including Australia, and the 6e liftback effectively replaces the combustion-powered Mazda 6, which has been axed in almost every global market, while the CX-6e serves as an electric counterpart to the CX-5 and CX-60 mid-size SUVs. It adds that the CX-6e will face off against its Deepal cousin, the S07, in a highly competitive segment. ³

The sharply priced BEVs also arrive as a new source of demand for a brand whose overall volume has softened: GoAuto reports Mazda achieved 91,923 deliveries in 2025, but its January-August 2026 volume of 53,163 represented a dip of 15.9 per cent year-on-year. ¹

NVES pressure makes the BEVs central

Beyond meeting demand, GoAuto reports the 6e and CX-6e need to make a very significant contribution to Mazda's total sales next year to ward off penalties under the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard. Its separate NVES analysis states the sharp pricing of the two BEVs was set with a view to rapidly growing Mazda's BEV share, and that at least one additional Changan-built Mazda BEV is likely in 2027 or 2028. 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. ¹²

That analysis reports Mazda recorded the highest penalty in the Standard's first year, with interim NVES results for the second half of 2025 placing it atop the manufacturers facing penalty payments if it does not recoup the result during the two-year make-good period. Mazda's interim result of 508,517 emissions units would theoretically incur an infringement notice of $25.4 million if the brand did nothing to address it. GoAuto estimates that on a trajectory of about 80,000 sales in 2027, roughly 24,500 units, about 31 per cent, would need to be BEVs to reach NVES equilibrium, and somewhere north of 40 per cent in 2028. These are GoAuto estimates, not Mazda figures. ²

The BT-50's continued diesel reliance compounds the challenge. Bhindi confirmed a next-generation BT-50 is locked in but will not launch with a PHEV or BEV option in Australia, though one could be added later as technology matures, and he confirmed Mazda Australia has no interest in adding a lifestyle-focused hybrid or electric ute alongside the BT-50, despite Changan building the E07 Multitruck crossover sold here by Deepal. The same reporting says a CX-5 hybrid will not be added locally until 2028, and that Mazda Corporation plans further PHEV pricing rationalisation for upgraded CX-60, CX-80 and CX-90 SUVs landing in Australia next year. ¹²

Why the Nanjing route: platform delay and global context

Automotive World reported in January 2026 that Mazda has delayed production of its first global EV based on a custom platform until 2029, from a previous target of 2027, and is in the meantime emphasising electric models made in China through the state-owned Changan joint venture. It notes the joint venture keeps prices down by using locally produced LFP batteries that cost less than alternative chemistries. Although the European Union has imposed additional tariffs on China-made EVs - which Mazda's offerings will be - the report says the automaker still believes this approach to be the most cost-effective for the short to medium term. ⁴

That January report also says the 6e sedan is launching in Europe in September, with introductions planned in Thailand and Australia, while the CX-6e targets Australia and New Zealand markets. CarExpert provides broader context in a January 2026 article on Japanese and Korean brands leaning on China for Australian supply, noting Chinese-built vehicles overtook Thai-built vehicles in Australian sales last year, making China the second-largest production source behind only Japan. It describes Mazda's new EVs as more than mere rebadges, while noting they use Chinese platforms and powertrains and are set to be widely exported, including to Australia. ⁴³

What the additional models might look like

GoAuto reports that likely targets for the considered expansion include a smaller fully electric SUV than the 4800mm-long CX-6e. Changan already builds its own Deepal S05 BEV, around 200mm shorter than the CX-6e, in right-hand drive for export, though the report notes a Mazda version would require extensive design, tuning and production resources. A three-row Mazda electric SUV would address a different opportunity, but Changan does not yet have a clear BEV option for adaptation: its Deepal S09 is a six-seat three-row SUV using a petrol range-extender powertrain rather than a BEV system that would deliver a superior NVES outcome. The report presents these as likely directions, not confirmed product plans. ¹