Aug 3: 6 wants to be a 3?

Why does a 6 want to be a 3?

I asked a couple of people this and they automatically said Mazda (and I thought I was so clever). Well, they were right. Mazda is on the verge of introducing a hot, new updated 6 series. Haven't we heard this before? The 6 sells against the Camry, Accord and Altima and has been lost against this competition. Each new generation is going to be the car that establishes Mazda as a mid-size contender. So what has happened so far?

Let's take a look at some past also rans.........

This 626 was absolutely boring looking, not that style should have been a factor when selling against the sleep inducing Camry. By the way, let's get this straight right away  -  the design comments are my personal opinion and don't reflect on the cars' quality. I once heard it said, that it costs just as much to design a good looking car as an ugly one. You do the math.

After this, Mazda brought to market a very attractive 6, although it was a touch smaller than its competition........

This time they added a wagon and a very European hatchback. They sold a couple of hatches, but I thought that the wagon was a great idea. The 6 has never been a big seller for me, but almost all I delivered were wagons. Hard to find a mid-size wagon in this price range (you can't). So much for being first into this market, as neither set the world on fire, so when the next, larger 6 was intro'd, there was only one model, the sedan........

I still think this is a great looking design, but it landed in the market place like a lead balloon and has been hidden in plain sight ever since. Nailed to the showroom floor.

Why does a 6 want to be a 3? Simple, since the 3 has been one of the best selling cars in its category since its intro in 2004. The 6 would like to have even a small sniff of the 3's strong sales. What to do? What to do? How about incorporating Mazda's new and strong design language into the 6? It worked great on the new and fast selling CX-5. Take a good look at the upcoming Mazda6.........

I think Mazda did a great job of translating their new design from concept to production. Compare this to the original concept car..........

Pretty sweet, if you ask me. Great front end  -  lots of character. They even got the neat wheels from the concept down pat. Based on past history, it will be a dud, but history doesn't always have to repeat itself, does it?

Until next time........