Mazda Contemplates a Future of AWD Mazda6s and Mazda3s
Mazda is very proud of its all-wheel drive system, dubbed i-ACTIV all-wheel drive after the brand’s active safety system suite, i-ACTIVSENSE. For some time, this special all-wheel drive has been a popular option among Mazda customers as well—over 60% of Mazda’s crossovers sold are consistently equipped with the drivetrain configuration.
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So, as Mazda revealed the redesigned Mazda6 sedan at the LA Auto Show--sporting the 2.5-liter turbocharged engine from the CX-9–some quizzical hands were raised as to whether any other *ahem*significant features*ahem* would make their way into the brand’s Mazda3 and Mazda6 passenger cars.
According to Mazda North America Operations CEO Masahiro Moro, the answer is, “not right now, but maybe soon.”
Specifically, Moro told reporters that the current Mazda3 and Mazda6 don’t have a platform which can accommodate the brand’s i-ACTIV all-wheel drive. “That’s why a four-wheel drive isn’t deployed on the Mazda 3 and 6 so far,” he said.
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The brand is aware, however, of large demand for all-wheel-drive sedans, particularly on the East Coast, where, as Moro stated, “80 or 90% of premium sedans are sold with all-wheel drive.”
At least for now, then, we are still left with the normal, front-wheel drive versions of the recently-facelifted Mazda6 and the Mazda3—however, as the Zoom Zoom brand continues its determined march upmarket, it seems likely that the next major redesign of these models will include some versions that push with all of their wheels at once.
News Source: CarAdvice.com.au
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