V6 dropped for redesigned Mazda 6 sedan

Mazda will drop the V6 engine from the Mazda 6 lineup, the company told Automotive News.

Instead, the redesigned Mazda 6 will use powertrains from Mazda's Skyactiv technology bin, including direct-injection four-cylinder engines and ultra-efficient transmissions.

“We believe that the balance of fuel economy and power that Skyactiv offers is what customers want,” a Mazda spokesman said.

The Skyactiv four-cylinder engine produces 155 hp and 150 lb-ft of torque in the CX-5 crossover.

The new Mazda 6 is based on the Takeri concept, which we first saw at the Tokyo auto show in 2011. Mazda also displayed the concept at this year's New York auto show. It uses the company's “Kodo” design language, which means “soul of motion.”

The car will arrive on our shores during the first quarter of 2013 and will be built in Hiroshima, Japan. The current Mazda 6 is built in Flat Rock, Mich.

When asked about a Skyactiv V6, Mazda said it wouldn't rule out such an engine but that there is no plan to offer one at this time.

The Mazda 6 is seeing a bit of a sales rebound as the current model nears its end. Sales for the first three months of this year are up 93.7 percent from a year ago, to 17,885 units. In 2011, Mazda sold 35,711 copies of the Mazda 6, up 0.1 percent from 2010.

By Jake Lingeman