Mazda Is Building Its First Ever Straight-6 Petrol And Diesel Engines
Good news! Mazda is keeping us petrol heads going by giving us what we want: a six-cylinder engine. This beautiful concept that you see below may well be the first car to receive such thing, with a current release date of sometime during 2020, but this could very well change. A few things to point out; it’s going to be a hybrid, it will be a longitudinal engine placement, and it’s looking to be all-wheel drive.
With that noted, there are two ways Mazda is looking at going about implementing this engine in their range – by either a 48V battery, or a plug-in hybrid system. Whichever system they decide upon, it will be mated to both petrol and diesel units. Both systems will use a regenerative braking system. That being said, how efficient can you make a car with a straight six orientated set-up?
A Mazda spokesperson said this.
“We’re excited to bring these powertrains to our future vehicles as we continue on our path to premium. We know our fans will be yearning for additional details, however specific models, performance figures and market rollout will be disclosed at an appropriate time.”
This is the first straight-six engine Mazda has ever built, and I have high expectations, especially after their successful inline-four SkyActiv units. There are so many car companies diverting to fully-electric systems that this interesting choice of sporty engine will certainly please the car enthusiasts among us. Is it finally time for a 6-cylinder MX5?
The Mazda Vision Coupe Concept is looking to be all-wheel drive with the option of a rear-wheel conversion kit. How can we not become excited now we know it could be accompanied by the purr of an inline-six?
Personally, I’m very excited to see this thing in person (hopefully next year) and would love to see the final recorded performance results, and of course how much it’s going to set the potential buyer back. I’ll be honest, it reminds me a lot of the Mercedes SLS. What are your thoughts on Mazda’s fresh new look?
