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Japan's Mazda Motor announced on January 19th that its midsize sedan Mazda 6 would be officially suspended from sale in Japan in April 2024. It is understood that after the suspension of production in North America in 2021 and the suspension of production in the UK in 2023, another market announced the suspension of production and sales. This classic model may have ushered in the final life node, and currently there are no official plans to produce a direct substitute for it, but Mazda is rumored to be developing a new rear-drive car based on the brand's large SUV platform.

Data show that the first generation of Mazda 6 was launched in May 2002, which belongs to the successor model of Mazda 626/Capella/Cronos. Its Japanese car name Atenza comes from the Italian "Attenzione", which means "attention". Because the car is the first model of the "Zoom-Zoom" concept of the Mazda family, it got the name in order to get market attention. It is understood that the Mazda 6 is based on the GG platform, while the travel version is based on the GY platform, and this generation of models also launch a high-performance car-Mazda Speed Atenza.

At that time, FAW Group coveted the best-selling overseas Mazda 6, and its subsidiary FAW car introduced Mazda 6, the classic "Old Horse 6", through technical cooperation in 2003. In order to cooperate with the production of Mazda 6, FAW, FAW cars and Mazda jointly funded the establishment of FAW Mazda Automobile sales Company in 2005. It should be noted that FAW Mazda is limited to technical cooperation and car sales, and does not have the qualification for vehicle production. FAW Mazda models on sale are all produced by FAW cars, which naturally makes Mazda unwilling to devote more technology and energy to this.

As the first model to be put into production, Mazda 6 has very strong chassis power, and its excellent handling is impressive, and it has become a "magic car" in the minds of many consumers. because of its excellent chassis adjustment and handling, it is known as the "king of corners". However, the shortage of products has always been a defect of FAW Mazda, with the introduction of Mazda 6 in 2003 and the introduction of replacement models in 2009, during which dealers basically relied on Mazda 6 and a few imported models to support their operations. In 2007, the second generation of Mazda 6 was officially unveiled, and the new car was built on the GH platform. In 2008, the second-generation Mazda Atenza was officially launched, with the launch of three models: a four-door sedan, a five-door hatchback and a five-door travel version. The updated Mazda 6 not only has a more dynamic appearance, but also highlights a younger interior design.

A year after its overseas listing, FAW Mazda officially introduced the second generation Mazda 6 to China in April 2009 and named it "Rui Yi". At that time, the introduced model included a 4-door sedan and a 5-door hatchback, with engines of 2.0L and 2.5L, with a combination of six-speed manual and five-speed hands. On the whole, the domestic FAW Mazda 6 is no different from the overseas version in design. It is worth mentioning that in view of the fact that when the second-generation Mazda 6 was listed in China, the enthusiasm of Chinese consumers for the first-generation Mazda 6 continued unabated, at that time FAW Mazda chose to retain the first-generation Mazda 6 to continue to sell, that is, to sell in the same house, which is the only country in the global market where Mazda sells in the same room.

In 2013, the third-generation Mazda ATENZA was officially unveiled and introduced to China by import at the end of that year. Subsequently, FAW Mazda announced the official listing of the third generation Mazda 6 in May 2014, and named it "Atez". The price range is 179800 yuan to 239800 yuan. The shape of the domestic Mazda 6 is basically the same as that of the imported ATENZA, and 2.0L and 2.5L versions are available in power.

In history, in addition to Mazda 6, FAW Mazda has launched Mazda 8, Mazda CX-7 and Mazda CX-4, but these models are all specially supplied in China. In fact, FAW Mazda has only one original Mazda model since its inception. After 2016, FAW Mazda stopped producing CX-7, first-generation Mazda 6, second-generation Mazda Ruiyi and Mazda 8 models one after another. FAW Mazda, which has not introduced new cars, will simultaneously aggravate the operating difficulties.

In August 2021, FAW Mazda officially released the last push, officially announcing that it would withdraw from the stage of Chinese automobile history. After delisting, FAW Mazda will be merged into Changan Mazda, and Changan Mazda will be changed into a joint venture jointly funded by three parties. Changan Automobile, Mazda and China FAW hold shares of 47.5%, 47.5% and 5%, respectively.

According to the official website, Changan Mazda currently sells models including CX-8, CX-5, CX-4, CX-30, CX-50, as well as Atez and Oncella, but in fact most models are suspended from production and sale, including CX-4 and Atz. In other words, after FAW Mazda was incorporated into Changan Mazda, Changan Mazda did not update CX-4 and Atz. Atez stopped production and sales because FAW Mazda was incorporated into Changan Mazda. At present, Japan's Mazda has confirmed that it will stop production of Mazda 6 in mid-April, and there are no follow-up replacement models, so Mazda 6 will not have a chance to upgrade.

At present, Mazda, as one of the Japanese brands, has a more and more "difficult" life in the Chinese market. Wholesale sales data show that Changan Mazda sold a total of 88662 vehicles in 2023, down 14.77% from the same period last year. The highest-selling model is Oncella, which is Mazda's lowest-priced model, which starts at 89900 yuan. The annual retail sales are 49400, followed by CX-5, 17884, and the newly launched CX-50 is 10265. Monthly sales are basically around 1,000, and there is not much market popularity.

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