Mazda Will Not Produce Hybrid Mazda6

Mazda will not introduce a hybrid version of the Mazda6 in 2009. The company offers a hybrid version of the Tribute SUV, also marketed as the Ford Escape Hybrid and the Mercury Mariner. Mazda says that it won't put its hybrid power train into the Mazda6 because the vehicle already offers superior gas mileage using a conventional drive train. The 2.5L 4 cylinder 2009 Mazda6 with a manual transmission is rated for 20 mpg in the city and 29 on the highway. The automatic version, equipped with a 3.7L V6 gets just 17 mpg to the gallon in the city and 25 on the highway.

Ford, which co-developed the Escape/Mariner/Tribute power train, isn't wasting time transferring the technology to its sedan line, however. Ford expects to introduce the Ford Fusion hybrid/Mercury Milan hybrids in the 2009 model year. The horizon is getting crowded with hybrid sedans. In the 2009-2011 time frame, you can also expect to see at least eighteen new hybrid models on the market, including hybrid versions of the Hyundai Accent/Kia Rio, a Mercedes S-Class Hybrid, the Audi Q7 Hybrid SUV and the third generation Prius, which is expected to hit the showrooms in 2009. That number doesn't include the Chevy Volt, which is technically a plug-in hybrid electric. You'll also see more of the the Chevy Silverado hybrid and new entrants to the hybrid scene, including Porsche, and the SmartForTwo.

Given the sheer number of hybrid competitors entering the market in the coming model years, the news that Mazda does not plan to turn out a hybrid sedan comes as somewhat of a surprise, especially since it already has the technology in-house.

Source: Edmunds Inside Line