No, the NHTSA Did Not Reveal a Secret AWD Mazda6 for 2018

Mazda has a few things going for it – a strong research and development department, some seriously good-looking cars, and a rabid, dedicated fan base that desperately wants the comparatively small Japanese automaker to succeed. So, when news broke that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had listed crash test ratings for an 2018 AWD Mazda6 shortly after Mazda announced it was working on just such a project, automotive news sources, understandably, celebrated the news as a leaked reveal of a secret vehicle, likely to be debuted with much fanfare to the delight of the crowd.

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More Updates on the  2018 Mazda6: Check out the updates on the new sedan

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…Except that wasn’t what happened. It turns out that it was just an oopsie by the NHTSA website staff, and, like CEO Masahiro Moro said last month, the new Mazda6 will not yet be offered in all-wheel drive (who thought that the CEO would know better than the NHTSA what the company was doing, right?). Google still throws up a link to the AWD Mazda6, although when you click on it, it goes to an error message on the NHTSA website.

 

The good news is that, although we are all a little disappointed that we weren’t getting a second Christmas gift from old Masahiro-Claus, we can at least remember that the current Mazda6 just got a pretty good upgrade, adding its own Signature trim level, a pretty nice new face, and access to the same SKYACTIV-G turbocharged 2.5-liter engine which had been newly created for use in the redesigned CX-9.

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Speaking of: Here’s what the CX-9 is getting for the 2018 model year

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So, as a reminder, the redesigned 2018 Mazda6 will be coming to dealerships in front-wheel drive configuration, only, in the spring of this year.

News Sources: TopSpeed.com, Jalopnik