Mazda has clearly made a step towards the premium market when it claimed patent rights for an all-new six-cylinder petrol engine and eight-speed automatic transmission.
In March 2019, the company reported that it was working on improving its Skyactiv-X (petrol) and Skyactiv-D (diesel) engine designs. No details were provided, but it looks like the former is ready, while the latter is still in the works.
Up until now, Mazda did not have a six-cylinder engine tech and had to source the 3.7-liter V6 for its CX-9 from Ford.
The Japanese automaker is also considering designing a new RWD platform for its future SUVs and, possibly, sports cars as well. We had reported earlier that the rumored RX-9 could be coming to the market with a gasoline V6, rather than the signature rotary engine of the RX series.
The next-gen Mazda 6 sedan/saloon should also debut soon, and chances are good that it will be based on the Vision Coupe Concept depicted here and pack the abovementioned six-cylinder mill in its top-performance version.