There’s a lot to like about the new Mazda6. It has a fresh look and a new 2.5-liter turbocharged engine that has an output in the range of 250 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. All that power is sent to the two front wheels courtesy of a standard SkyActiv-Drive automatic transmission. The setup is impressive, but if Mazda really wants to elevate the status of the 6, the next logical step would be to throw all-wheel drive into the mix.

Mazda North America Operations President and CEO Masahiro Moro discussed the possibility of the Mazda6 getting all-wheel-drive capability in response to the huge demand in the U.S. for all-wheel-drive variants. Moro indicated that the sedan’s current architecture isn’t compatible with an all-wheel-drive system. “We have a layout issue with the sedans, that’s why a four-wheel drive isn’t deployed on the Mazda3 and 6 so far,” he said.

Such is the case, though, when demand is high for a specific product, as it is with four-wheel drive models in the U.S. An automaker like Mazda has to find a way to see if it can accommodate that demand. It’s especially important for a car like the Mazda6, which the Japanese automaker has high hopes for in the American market. To his credit, Moro has already been proactive in figuring out ways to work around the current issues. “Four-wheel drive becomes a premium queue for US consumers and obviously I have asked our R&D department to think about how we can accommodate four-wheel drive capability in the future,” he said.

Mazda is playing it as it should in this situation. It knows where the market is right now for the Mazda6 in the U.S. It also knows that the company’s current platform limitations rule out all-wheel drive variants for the current 2.5-liter Mazda6. But it’s this same limitation that’s pushing Mazda to look into all the possibilities that will help bring all-wheel-drive models of the Mazda6 to the U.S.

References

Mazda6

Read our full review on the 2018 Mazda6.

Mazda3

Read our full review on the 2018 Mazda3.

Read more Mazda news.