Mazda have teased their new Mazda6 sedan in a handful of images over the past couple of weeks, but there’s been nothing to shout about, until now.
We all know the Takeri concept is the basis upon which the new Mazda6 has been styled, but doubts of just how close the finished product would get to the stunning concept were on everyone’s mind. The release of the new images follow spy photos of a lightly-camouflaged 2013 Mazda6 estate, revealing the car in its final form in the run-up to its world debut at the Paris Motor Show in September.
Previous test cars had used the body of the current-generation Mazda6, but now it’s become clear that the production car’s Kodo design remains heavily influenced by the Takeri concept. Notable highlights include a prominent grille, bulging fenders and the Takeri’s complex headlight internals have been swapped for a conventional lens and projector arrangement.
Mazda declined to give any specific details of the new sedan, but the new Mazda6 is the second vehicle in the brand’s range after the CX-5 crossover to fully embrace the Skyactiv technology, which uses a lightweight modular platform, a compact transmission and a host of ‘clean’ engines. The Mazda6 will also be equipped with the manufacturer’s new i-ELOOP capacitor-based kinetic energy regenerative braking system.
We’ll have more news come September, where after we hope to see a South African debut by mid-2013.
