Mazda’s potential future has been in a tug-of-war battle between rumors, consumer desires, and profitability. Over the last year or so, Mazda has confirmed that it has some very bold plans for the future, and there was even word that the next-gen Mazda 6 would make use of the brand’s new six-cylinder engine and RWD platform. Sadly, Mazda shot down any hope of a RWD Mazda 6 happening anytime soon back in March 2022, but the good news is that it won’t give up on the recipe that makes the MX-5 Miata so amazing. Now, however, it looks like any fun associated with the Mazda brand outside of the MX-5 could be left in the past.

Mazda’s Future Grows, But Not in Terms of Fun

Back in 2017 Mazda revealed the Vision Coupe Concept, a model that could have represented either a full-size, sporty sedan offering or even the next-gen Mazda 6. Sadly, Mazda Europe’s engineering boss, Joachim Kunz has essentially shot down any hope of that ever happening in any capacity. “It’s most important to sell SUVs. It would be very nice…to have the FR concept and six-cylinder engine for a Mazda 6 successor or a large sports coupe.” But see, it’s not sporty sedans or coupes that will make Mazda money. Even the MX-5, as cool as it is, is a fairly low-volume offering in a niche with little competition.

The truth is that the SUV craze is just too demanding and too profitable for automakers to shy away from the body style, so cars like the Vision Coupe Concept will probably remain in conceptual form forever as the company focus on what really matters – the body styles that actually make it money. At least point, we’re not even sure if there’s going to be a next-gen Mazda 6. As of this year, it has been on the market for a decade and its last update came in 2018. So far, we haven’t heard a word about its successor, nor has a single prototype been spotted. Unless Mazda is being very secretive, it would seem there’s little to no R&D going into the midsized sedan.

As of now, most of Mazda’s plans have been geared toward the CX-60, CX-70, CX-80, and CX-90 SUVs with little mention of anything else outside of the MX-5, which is essentially a tiny and fairly affordable halo car. This means that the Mazda 6 will either soldier on until it doesn’t make sense to even try selling it anymore, at which point it will be discontinued or Mazda will discontinue it and eventually introduce an electric successor – something that might be more viable in terms of business and profitability.

In the meantime, expect the rest of this decade at Mazda to be all about SUVs. The company isn’t exactly a large automaker. It is mainstream, but it’s still fairly low volume compared to some of the makes it competes with. Perhaps once the company has a broad range of SUVs that cater to every single niche possible, it will then focus on doing something more enthusiast-based like a new Mazda6 or some other sporty vehicle. Until that happens, all we can do is wait and hope.