We’ve learned that Mazda will be launching a 175bhp diesel version of the new 6 at the end of the year. The engine is understood to be based on a new 2.2 litre capacity version of Mazda’s own 2.0 litre diesel unit, which was recently upgraded to 138 bhp in the new Mazda 6 – and is not related to the Ford-PSA joint venture diesel motor of similar capacity and power. It will come with a six-speed manual gearbox and will give Mazda a competitor to the growing number of high-output four-cylinder diesel motors being offered by Volkswagen, Renault, Ford, Peugeot and Citroen. The launch of the new car is tipped to be at the Paris show in September. An idea to bring the launch forward to the London show in July is understood to have been scrapped.Mazda has sunk considerable development funds into the new diesel, and we understand that it has put back the launch of the Mazda 6 MPS. Indeed, company insiders hint that the oil-burner may even take the place of the high-output sporty petrol model in Mazda’s range. “I prefer to put money into a new diesel, rather than the MPS,” says Ryuichi Umeshita, program manager for the new Mazda 6, “I want to wait and see how the new 6 does without an MPS version.”
Add your comment