KEY POINTS:
Mazda New Zealand says price reductions of between $1500 and $3000 for its all-new Mazda6 are designed to bring more "transparency" to its pricing. Transparency is a motor-industry euphemism for a sticker price that's a lot closer to the price paid for a car after discounting.
It's a very different way to do business in a segment where more than 80 per cent of sales are to fleets and big discounts are the norm. Distributors such as Honda and Hyundai adopted transparent pricing policies years ago for their Accord and Sonata models.
The Mazda6, on the other hand, has been one of the most expensive cars in the class to date - at least on paper - giving plenty of room for dealers to discount and secure sales.
While more transparent pricing means a fairer pricing regime for customers, you could hardly argue against the previous Mazda6's success.
More than 12,000 have been sold since launch in 2002 - it was the number one car in the segment four years running and won the New Zealand Car of the Year in 2002.
So while the second-generation Mazda6 is cheaper than before, despite having substantially more standard specification, there's still enough fat in the prices for the car to "remain competitive", says Mazda New Zealand boss Andrew Clearwater.
The new sedan, hatch and wagon body styles are longer, wider, taller and ride on a larger wheelbase. Mazda is establishing a reputation for weight control and the Mazda6 is no exception: while it's heavier than the old car, increases have been kept to just 50-85kg depending on the model.
The mainstay engine is a new 2.5-litre unit - the previous car had a 2.3-litre - mated to either a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission. Entry models get a more modest 2.0-litre unit.
Safety features include six SRS airbags, active head restraints, anti-lock braking and force distribution.
One disappointment is the lack of electronic stability control on anything other than the top Mazda6 Limited model. Mazda New Zealand has admitted its mistake, failing to anticipate the rise in demand for the lifesaving safety system when it configured its cars from the factory, and says all 2.5-litre versions of the car will be equipped with stability control within three months. The 2.0-litre car, it claims, is a little harder because New Zealand is the only export market in the world to take that engine in right-hand drive.
Prices range from $35,795 for the GLX 2.0 sedan manual to $48,195 for the Limited hatchback automatic.
The 2.0-litre engine is restricted to the entry GLX sedan and the rest of the range gets the 2.5-litre unit.
The four-door sedan comes in three grades - GLX, mid-range GSX and luxury Limited. The hatchback is available as a GLX or Limited, which comes with a full "sports appearance package" body kit, while the load-lugging wagon can be bought as a GLX or GSX.
The new car is expected to play a major part in pushing the Mazda brand from fifth-overall in the Kiwi market last year to fourth this year.
