Upgraded interiors and a turbocharged engine were not enough to save Mazda's full-size sedan. The Mazda6 will be discontinued this summer and will no longer be built for the Canadian market from the 2022 model year.
Over the past 10 years, the Mazda6 has seen sales fall from a high of more than 5,000 to just 1,137 in 2020. While last year was a tough year for the entire market, the 1,402 units sold the year before was not a smashing success. The vehicle is also being dropped from the U.S. market, where sales fell from nearly 40,000 a year to just half that in 2019. By comparison, the Toyota Camry sold 11,631 units in Canada last year. Each model year, more and more sedans are dropping from automaker lineups, with Ford no longer selling any and just one remaining at Chevrolet.
In Canada, sedans and hatchbacks represent less than a fifth of total new vehicle sales, a figure that continues to shrink rapidly. Mazda recently revealed the MX-30 compact electric crossover and has another crossover coming soon that will be produced in the U.S. South of the border, the CX-3 is also being discontinued as the slightly larger and much more stylish CX-30 has taken many of that model's customers. The CX-3 will still be offered here and as of now is one of just two crossovers to offer a manual transmission.
The statement from Mazda Canada about the end of Mazda6 production read "As the flagship sedan in our lineup, the Mazda6 represented premium design, performance, quality, and safety, and helped shape the brand throughout the three generations that were sold in Canada. As remarkable a vehicle as the Mazda6 was, it faced adverse conditions in an ever-shrinking segment as consumers abandoned sedans in favour of taller, more versatile crossover vehicles."