Mazda announces second delay for diesel 6
Diesel fans waiting on Mazda’s long-promised 6 sedan with such an engine under the hood are going to have to have a little more patience, the automaker has announced.
Mazda confirmed Thursday that it was delaying for the second time the release of the mid-size 6 sedan with a SkyActiv-D diesel engine into the U.S. market. The car is to be Mazda’s play at efficiency in a segment where most brands use a hybrid to serve the eco-conscious buyer.
The diesel 6 was originally scheduled to hit the road in fall 2013, but an initial delay pushed that to spring 2014. Now the Japanese automaker says it needs even more time before putting it on sale. No new on-sale date was given, though Mazda spokesman Eric Booth insisted that the car was coming to market.
“This is not a cancellation by any means,” Booth said.
The reason for the delay has less to do with meeting U.S. emissions standards and more to do with getting the performance of the diesel 6 up to Mazda’s standards, according to Booth. Mazdas have long been known as among the most fun to drive vehicles in their respective segments, as our recent reviews of the 6 and compact 3 can attest.
Releasing a car that didn’t match the company’s reputation was worse than delaying its debut, Mazda reasoned. “We wanted to wait until both the performance and MPGs were where we wanted them to be,” Booth said.
When the diesel 6 does finally hit the U.S. market, it will be only the second car in the midsize family segment to offer such an engine. Volkswagen’s Passat TDI is the other. Competitors like the Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata offer a hybrid and or a plug-in hybrid in addition to their standard gas engines.
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