Mazda will not sell its high-performance all-wheel-drive Mazdaspeed6 in 2008 as the automaker gears up for an all-new model. Mazda has also announced that it will be discontinuing the Mazda6 wagon, a unique vehicle in the North American market, for ’08.
Unfortunately, there is no word yet on whether the wagon or Mazdaspeed6 will return. The performance version of the 6 hasn’t seen the sales success that its little brother, the front-wheel-drive Mazdaspeed3, has seen. We aren’t quite sure why, given the ‘speed6′s apparent value and sophistication.
The rest of the 6 lineup receives minor trim changes.
In other Mazda news, the new CX-9 crossover, which is based on the same CD3 platform as the 6, gets Ford ’s upgraded 3.7-liter V6 powertrain to replace its 3.5. We’re afraid that Mazda might succumb to the same schedule of engine replacements as Ford: an all-new model gets an all-new engine for its second year of production. We gladly welcome the 10-hp boost to 273, but we wonder about the product planning logic.
