Mazda6 culled from New Zealand line-up

Mazda has officially begun to wind back production of its well-known sedan, the Mazda6, meaning it will soon no longer be sold here in New Zealand.

You may remember that at the start of last year, the local arm of Mazda introduced the limited-run 20th Anniversary Edition of the Mazda6 which was intended to be a farewell variant of the model. Just one of those cars is currently in stock and once it’s sold, the model will be no more.

“We have already made the decision to discontinue the model in line with changing market trends and customer demands,” a Mazda New Zealand spokesperson told NZ Autocar.

The brand is of course referring to new car buyer’s endless appetite for SUVs, a segment that dominated new car sales statistics in 2023.

By far the most popular type of vehicle sold last year were medium-sized SUVs with 40,164 units registered, followed by compact SUVs and large SUVs, leaving little room for sedans and wagons.

It’s much the same story in Japan, with Mazda confirming the 6 will be dropped from its local line-up as the carmaker puts the pedal to the metal with regard to its CX SUV models.

Interestingly though, the Mazda6 will continue to be produced and sold for the Australian market, one of the last places in the world to offer the model, reports Drive.