Mazda is doubling down on Chinese-built electric vehicles. The Japanese automaker is exploring more models with longtime partner Changan beyond the 6e sedan and CX-6e crossover it already sells in export markets, and the next Mazda Changan EV is already part of the company’s plans, Mazda Australia managing director Vinesh Bhindi told Australian outlet GoAuto.
“We have started talking about what other opportunities could be there,” Bhindi said, according to Motor1. Asked whether Mazda would rely on Changan for EVs while its own battery-electric program continues in the background, he answered: “Absolutely.”
A Mazda Changan EV strategy takes shape
This marks a significant pivot for a brand that has long championed a “multi-solution” approach to electrification. Instead of engineering every battery-electric model in-house, Mazda can lean on Changan’s platforms and factories to fill out its lineup faster.
Mazda’s corporate roadmap already lists two more models from the Changan joint venture for the 2028-2030 window. Its own next-generation EVs, meanwhile, have slipped again and are now targeted for 2029.
The current pair shows how the model works. The Mazda 6e is the overseas version of the China-market EZ-6 sedan, and the CX-6e is the global version of the EZ-60 SUV, according to CnEVPost. The 6e topped 7,000 European sales within about four months of its September 2025 launch there, giving Mazda an early read on demand for a Mazda Changan EV outside China.
Why the Chinese route?
Regulation is the biggest driver. In Europe, automakers whose fleets exceed emissions limits face steep fines, so selling more zero-emission cars is close to mandatory. Leaning on the Changan partnership, including a Nanjing plant that runs as a Mazda factory inside the joint venture, gets new EVs to market faster and more cheaply than building each one from scratch.
Mazda is also rethinking where its money goes. According to Motor1, the company is cutting its EV investment nearly in half and shifting resources to hybrid powertrains built around its new Skyactiv-Z gas engine. That caution has roots in the MX-30, Mazda’s first EV, which was held back by its short driving range. Even a range-extender version using a rotary engine as a generator didn’t turn it into a hit.
European tuning for Chinese hardware
Bhindi stressed that any future Mazda Changan EV won’t simply be a rebadged Changan. “We’ve put a lot of effort in (and) we will continue to do that to make sure (Chinese-built Mazda) models are different,” he said.
Part of that effort comes from Mazda’s European engineering team, which handles ride and handling tuning on the Changan-built models. The result is a hybrid approach of its own: Chinese manufacturing muscle paired with European chassis tuning.
The arrangement lets Mazda keep some of its brand identity while tapping into China’s fast-growing EV export industry. China has become a powerhouse in battery-electric manufacturing, and legacy automakers increasingly see partnerships as quicker than going it alone.
What’s being left behind
The same pressure is reshaping Mazda’s gas-powered lineup. In the UK, the MX-5 Miata’s 2.0-liter engine has been discontinued because of tougher emissions rules, a sign of how quickly regulation is changing what automakers can sell.
Mazda has even suggested the Miata could go electric someday. If the company is willing to consider batteries for its lightweight roadster, electrifying mainstream models is a smaller leap.
Mazda’s move suggests the traditional automaker’s future may rely less on going it alone and more on selective partnerships with regional powerhouses. Chinese manufacturers have shown they can build competitive, feature-rich EVs at scale. The open question is whether each new Mazda Changan EV can stand out in a crowded global market.
Source: Motor1
Featured image: Photo: Sulthan Naufal / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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