A Mazda executive has provided the clearest indication yet the long-mooted rear-wheel-drive, six-cylinder replacement to the Mazda 6 sedan is not on the radar – for now.
Plans for a rear-wheel-drive replacement for the Mazda 6 mid-size sedan – on the same underpinnings as the CX-60 and CX-90 large SUVs – have taken one step further back from showrooms.
Reports out of Japan in recent years have claimed plans are underway for the six-cylinder engines and rear-wheel-drive ‘Large’ architecture below the new CX-60, CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90 SUVs to underpin a replacement for the decade-old Mazda 6 sedan.
However subsequent reports out of Europe over the past 12 months have poured cold water on plans for such a car, amid a decline in sedan sales globally, and Mazda’s focus on its more profitable, Large platform-based SUVs.
A Mazda executive has now all but ruled out plans for any other vehicles on the Large architecture apart from the four SUVs already confirmed – dashing hopes for a new Mazda 6 on the chassis.
When asked if the Large platform can support traditional passenger cars such as a Mazda 6 sedan, Mazda CX-90 program manager Mitsuru Wakiie told a group of Australian media: “Mazda has told we are going to provide CX-60, 90, 70 and 80. That is the answer I can give you.
When asked directly if those four SUVs are the only models that will ever be built on this architecture, Mr Wakiie told media through a translator: “Yes, with this platform we can provide CX-60, 70, 80 and 90.”
While Mr Wakiie appears to suggest a new Mazda 6 on the Large architecture is unlikely, he does not explicitly rule out a new model on different underpinnings.
“It would be very nice… to have the FR [front-engine, rear-driven] concept and six-cylinder engine for a Mazda 6 successor or a large sports coupe. We would like to have it, but at this point in time, it’s most important to sell SUVs,” Mr Kunz told Autocar.
“This SUV trend is continuing, and even more for Mazda. It’s what’s selling best.”
Sales of the Mazda 6 have declined over the past decade as buyers shift to SUVs – and Mazda expands the number of high-riding vehicles it sells.
Mazda reported 1511 Mazda 6 sedans and wagons as sold in Australia last year – down from 3647 in 2017, and 6558 in 2012. In its first full year on sale (2003), about 12,700 Mazda 6s were reported as sold in Australia.
The current-generation model launched in 2012 has been given a number of updates over its decade on sale – including a heavy facelift in 2018, and specification updates with new features and model grades in 2021 and 2023.
Meanwhile, the new models on Mazda’s Large architecture are available with a range of inline six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines – most with turbochargers – and the option of four-cylinder plug-in hybrid power.
Power outputs in the largest vehicle of the quartet, the CX-90 seven-seater, are up to 254kW and 500Nm – about 80kW more than the turbo 2.5-litre four-cylinder in the top-of-the-range Mazda 6, and on par with six-cylinder engines from German luxury marques.
Most models on the Large platform revealed to date are fitted with standard all-wheel drive, however entry-level four-cylinder petrol versions of the five-seat CX-60 are rear-wheel drive.
German car maker BMW says it has no plans for a pick-up – despite record sales globally – as the design boss dismisses the concept as a passing trend.
A high-ranking executive at BMW says the company has no plans to enter the ute or pick-up market – despite the global surge in sales of such vehicles.
In an interview with BMW Blog, the design director for BMW, Adrian van Hooydonk, dismissed utes and pick-ups as a “trend”.
“It’s not an obvious fit for the BMW brand. We don’t have to go after every trend that is happening,” Mr van Hooydonk told BMW Blog.
“If we go into a segment then we want to go in there for the long haul. Also, we don’t have to go after every trend that is happening. What I do see and find interesting is that during COVID, we saw a trend for people who want to spend time outdoors.”
Utes have been the top two selling vehicles in Australia for the past six years – and the Toyota HiLux has been number one for the past seven years.
In the US, the Ford F Series has led the new-car market for almost half-a-century.
In 2022, utes and pick-ups across all brands accounted for one-in-five of all new motor vehicles sold in Australia – and outsold passenger cars locally for the second year in a row.
Despite this, Mr van Hooydonk believes the push to make utes and pick-ups more appealing to a broader range of customers is not enough to encourage BMW to enter the segment.
“What’s interesting is that the pick-up truck is becoming more sophisticated. The electric drivetrains are coming in. Of course, the prices are going way up. They have also become more refined.
“So those are all interesting developments. But (it is) not necessary for us to go and jump in that thing right away. Because of course it has to also be somewhat believable, authentic also to the BMW brand.”
BMW has shown two ute concepts since the turn of the millennium, although neither have come close to entering production.
In 2011, the German brand produced a one-off ute based on the contemporary M3 convertible, although it clarified the vehicle was nothing more than an April Fools’ Joke – albeit one which had taken real time and effort to build.
In 2019, BMW turned to its X7 and cut off the SUV’s rear bodywork, with a team of vocational trainees spending more than 10 months on designing, developing and creating the concept. As with the M3 ute, the company stressed it would not be put into production.
Mazda Australia concedes it may lose full-size, seven-seat SUV buyers on a budget once the existing CX-9 is succeeded by the more luxurious and expensive CX-90 – but the current model is safe for at least one more year.
The future of the Mazda CX-9 family SUV beyond the end of 2023 is under a cloud – after the arrival of the more expensive Mazda CX-90 later this year.
The new CX-90 revealed overnight is the second model in Mazda’s new range of rear-wheel-drive-based, six-cylinder and hybrid SUVs – which are positioned as more luxurious, and more expensive than the CX-9 in showrooms today.
Mazda has confirmed the CX-90 will replace the CX-9 in its main market of North America, however Mazda Australia says it will continue to sell the CX-9 as long as it is in production – which will continue for at least one more year.
“As long as Mazda Corporation [head office] produces CX-9, we will have CX-9,” the boss of Mazda Australia, Vinesh Bhindi, told Australian media.
“We expect for 2023, we will have both cars selling side by side. And then the future of whether that’s in our portfolio [after 2023] will be dependent on whether it still continues to be produced,” Mr Bhindi said.
Above: Mazda CX-90. Top: Mazda CX-9.
Pricing for the CX-90 is yet to be confirmed, but if the price of the CX-60 is a guide – and the difference between the current CX-5 and CX-9 – the range may start in excess of $70,000 plus on-road costs, and stretch beyond $100,000.
That represents a significant increase over today’s CX-9, which is priced from $47,600 to $75,165 plus on-road costs.
Mazda’s other three-row SUV, the CX-8 – priced from $40,610 to $70,010 – is “here to stay” in Australia, according to Mr Bhindi – however it will be replaced in its main market of Japan by a smaller sibling to the CX-90, the CX-80, this year.
If Australia follows suit and CX-8 production ends for global markets, Mazda will be left with no ‘affordable’, circa-$50,000 seven-seat vehicle for family buyers – and Mr Bhindi concedes the car maker may lose sales to other manufacturers.
“Our portfolio will have options on price [for three-row SUVs], but if someone is on a very tight budget and needs seven seats, then our portfolio may not offer that,” Mr Bhindi told media.
Above: Mazda CX-8.
“But CX-8 currently does offer that opportunity – CX-8 is here to stay. CX-9 is staying as long as Mazda Corporation build it. So we will have options for that [budget-conscious seven-seat] customer.”
The CX-80 – which is a long-wheelbase, seven-seat version of the five-seat CX-60, both of which are branded as ‘narrow-body’ models, compared to the ‘wide-body’ CX-90 – remains under consideration for Australia.
“We are not in a position to confirm yet [if CX-80 will be available to Australia]. Yes we are looking at it from a business case [perspective], but we are not in a position to say it will be available to our market,” Mr Bhindi said.
Despite our small size – and the presence of the slightly smaller CX-8 seven-seater alongside it in Mazda showrooms – Australia is the second-largest market globally for the CX-9.
The 6460 CX-9 SUVs reported as sold here in 2022 place Australia behind the US (34,580 sales), but ahead of Canada (4113). The CX-9 is not sold in Europe or Japan, with the latter marketing the narrower CX-5-derived CX-8 instead.
When asked if how there are enough potential sales to justify continuing production of the CX-9 with the loss of the US market – where it will be replaced by the CX-90 – Mr Bhindi told Australian media: “That’s [up to] the corporation to make a call on, but at this stage it’s being made available to us.”
Mr Bhindi told media buyers for the CX-90 are expected to primarily come from existing Mazda vehicles – who are looking for a more luxurious or larger vehicle – as well as “some” customers from luxury car makers.
“In the second half of the year, we will have CX-5, CX-60, CX-8, CX-9 and CX-90. So pricing wise, we will cover a wide range to fit everybody’s budget. No if that means a customer comes in [for] a CX-9 but prefers a 90, or comes in on a 90 and prefers a CX-9, that’s what we’ve got to work out to say, here’s [how many we expect to sell],” Mr Bhindi told media.
There can’t be many car companies with the audacity to turn their most iconic production model into something completely at odds with the original. But that is exactly what Porsche has done in creating the new 911 Dakar.
After nearly 60 years of production, the world’s most enduring and celebrated sports car has been transformed into a high-riding four-wheel-drive performance off-roader fit to traverse gravel roads, sandy deserts, and other rugged parts of the outback.
It is a move Thomas Krickelberg, director of the 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar, says was spawned by fond memories of the German carmaker’s celebrated Paris-Dakar Rally winning 953 and 959.
But unlike those two specialty rally models from Porsche’s motorsport division, the 911 Dakar has been conceived as a regular production model. It won’t be produced in big numbers. Officially, only 2500 are planned. And with a starting price of $491,400 before on-road costs, or about $140,000 more than the 911 Carrera 4 GTS, in Australia, it’s certainly not going to fit everyone’s taste or budget.
However, with anticipation surrounding the new model running sky-high, Porsche hints it could eventually become a regular model in its line-up in the future.
With the necessary financial means and a little bit of luck, you can buy a 911 Dakar and drive it every day, which I assure you is what you’ll want to do. Because, it is brilliant.
We know this after travelling to remote parts of Morocco late last month to test the new Porsche model, which comes in a variety of retro paint schemes as part of an optional Rallye Design Package, including a particularly alluring throwback to the Rothmans livery used by the victorious 953 and 959 at the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1984 and 1986.
The basis for the 911 Dakar is the 911 Carrera 4 GTS, alongside which it is produced at Porsche’s Zuffenhausen factory on the outskirts of Stuttgart in Germany. However, the changes, as you can see, are quite extensive.
Included within a toughened exterior is a new front bumper with large air ducts either side and an integrated metal kick plate. Further back, there’s a carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic bonnet borrowed from the 911 GT3, protective plastic cladding within each of the wheel arches, new-look sills underneath the doors, a uniquely styled fixed carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic rear spoiler, and a new rear bumper with integrated tailpipes and a central metal kick plate. There are also two prominent red towing eyes made of forged aluminium front and rear.
With an adjustable suspension, the maximum approach, departure and breakover angles are put at 16.1, 18.2 and 19.0 degrees respectively – figures similar to more off-road-oriented versions of the larger Porsche Cayenne, no less.
Added to all this are standard 19-inch (front) and 20-inch (rear) wheels. They come as standard with 245/45 R19 (front) 295/40 R20 (rear) profile Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus tyres with 9mm of tread depth, reinforced sidewalls and twin carcass construction, giving the new 911 model a fittingly rugged look.
The off-road tyres were only made standard after Porsche was convinced of their rolling refinement. “We initially only planned to offer summer and winter tyres as standard, with all-terrains as an option. But after a test session in southern France, we decided to drive a group of prototypes fitted with all-terrains back to Stuttgart. They were surprisingly quiet, with much lower levels of road noise than we expected over long journeys. From that point on, we opted to make them standard,” says Krickelberg.
Pirelli P-Zero summer and winter tyres, also developed for the 911 Dakar, are available as an option.
To further perpetuate the 911 Dakar’s off-road prowess, it also has an optional roof rack with integrated driving lights and a range of other stylised options, including traction boards, fuel and water canisters and a folding shovel. There’s even a 12-volt connector within the rear section of the roof. But with the maximum roof load put at just 42kg, there is a limit to what you can stow up top.
One item you might consider for the roof rack is a spare wheel and tyre, because apart from the boot, there’s no provision to house one anywhere else.
The Rallye Design Package mentioned earlier is sold through Porsche Exclusive. It consists of a two-tone paint finish – the first ever offered by Porsche, additional red and gold rally stripes, a race number on the doors and white painted wheels. Like the car, though, it comes at a high price. Exact details are not yet available but going on the European pricing, expect to pay up to $30,000 for the retro look. Other, less expensive decal sets based around Porsche’s entrants in the 1971, 1974 and 1978 East African Safari Rally are also available.
Key details
2023 Porsche 911 Dakar
Seats
Two
Boot volume
132L
Length
4530mm
Width
2033mm
Height
1388mm
Wheelbase
2450mm
The changes to the interior are rather less apparent and dramatic than those made to the exterior; there are standard bucket seats with integrated headrests up front, while the rear seats have been removed completely and replaced with carpeting to provide additional load carrying space to the 132L of luggage room underneath the bonnet. In a move that helps it achieve a kerb weight of 1605kg – or just 10kg more than the 911 Carrera 4 GTS, Porsche has also given the 911 Dakar lightweight glass, synthetic RaceTex upholstery and a lithium-ion battery as standard.
An optional Rallye Sport Package turns the new 911 into a proper off-road racer, with a roll cage, six-point seat belts and a fire-extinguisher.
Power comes from the same rear-mounted turbocharged 3.0-litre horizontally opposed six-cylinder petrol engine as that used by the latest 911 Carrera 4 GTS. It borrows its dynamic engine mounts from the 911 GT3 to reduce engine load changes through the body structure, delivering 353kW at 6500rpm and 570Nm of torque between 2300 and 5000rpm.
Porsche has altered the cooling system, doing away with the central radiator used in other 911 models to protect against stone strikes during off-road driving. It is supplanted by two larger radiators either side within a modified front end.
Drive is channelled through a standard eight-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) gearbox with steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles. There’s also a fully variable four-wheel-drive system capable of apportioning up to 100 per cent of the engine’s reserves to either the front or rear wheels when necessary. It comes in combination with Porsche Traction Management (PTM) and Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) Plus – systems that allow the amount of drive to each rear wheel to be varied depending on the driving conditions.
All up, there are four driving modes: Normal and Sport as well as Rallye and Off-road – the latter two unique to the 911 Dakar and featuring a launch-control function designed to provide maximum traction on loose surfaces.
Porsche claims a 0–100km/h on-road time of 3.4sec. 0–200km/h takes just 12.0sec. Top speed, meanwhile, is limited to 240km/h due to the standard all-terrain tyres. Given the performance potential, the average consumption is a creditable 11.2L/100km on the WLTP cycle, equating to CO2 emissions of 256g/km.
The suspension of the 911 Dakar retains the same double-wishbone front and multi-link rear design as the 911 Carrera 4 GTS. But, again, there are a host of changes, including tracks that have been widened by 28mm to 1617mm up front and by 15mm to 1572mm at the rear. In combination with the all-terrain tyres, they give the new model a great stance.
The springs and dampers are also new. They provide an added 9.6mm of wheel travel at 74.8mm up front and an extra 6.2mm at 64.8mm at the rear. Overall, there’s 50mm more ground clearance than the 911 GTS at 161mm in both Normal and Sport driving modes. When you switch into Rallye and Off-road modes, a lift system increases this by a further 30mm at speeds up to 170km/h, giving the 911 Dakar a maximum 191mm of ground clearance.
Porsche says the spring rates are a significant 50 per cent softer than those used by other 911 models.
Porsche’s Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) system comes as standard. It uses electro-mechanical actuation of the roll bars to keep the body level during cornering and over rough roads. Additionally, the 911 Dakar also receives rear-wheel steering. It’s the same system used by the 911 GTS, steering the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the front wheels at speeds of up to around 50km/h, and then in the same direction above 80km/h.
The brakes mate 350mm steel discs with six-piston callipers up front and 350mm discs with four-piston callipers at the rear.
The 911 Dakar’s performance is scintillating, both in outright force and acoustic intensity. The raised ride height and various stylistic changes, including the uniquely styled rear wing, have done few favours to the overall aerodynamics, endowing it with a drag coefficient of 0.35. However, any lingering doubts about its ability to deliver the same compelling driving qualities as the 911 GTS Carrera 4 are immediately cancelled out by the athletic nature of its engine, which always feels strong and terrifically willing.
The turbocharged six-cylinder is quick to react and revs with real intent, providing rapid acceleration in lower gears. It is never peaky, though. Torque builds strongly, endowing the high-riding coupe with outstanding flexibility. It is perfectly happy to pull taller gears when cruising along at typical highway speeds, at which it is remarkably subdued.
An altogether louder and meaningful soundtrack is never far away, though. A tap or two of the steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles sees it shed gear ratios and quickly has the rear-mounted 3.0-litre power plant humming with a characteristic deep mechanical blare.
Key details
2023 Porsche 911 Dakar
Engine
3.0-litre flat six twin-turbo
Power
353kW @ 6500rpm
Torque
570Nm @ 2300–5000rpm
Drive type
All-wheel drive
Transmission
Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic
Power to weight ratio
220kW/t
Weight (kerb)
1605kg
Turning circle
10.7m
Approach / departure / ramp-over
16.1 / 18.2 / 19 degrees
Ground clearance
(With adjustable suspension)
161mm (Normal, Sport)
191mm (Rallye)
The PDK gearbox of the early 911 Dakar we drove occasionally suffered from some light shunt when picking up revs in taller gears and during downchanges at low speeds. It was never a big issue while roaming through Morocco, but the dual-clutch unit lacked the slick action we’ve experienced from what is essentially the same gearbox in the 911 GTS.
There is no concern about traction, though. The new Porsche model’s ability to deploy its reserves to the road surface, be it bitumen, gravel, sand or a combination of all three, is a major strength and central to its broad range of driving ability. That’s thanks to the quick-acting properties of its four-wheel-drive system and driving assistant systems, all of which have been specially calibrated to fit the 911 Dakar’s off-road brief.
The handling is breathtakingly good. Despite the wholesale increase in ground clearance, and with it the overall centre of gravity, the body control is formidable. With a uniquely calibrated PDCC system taking into account the greater ground clearance than other 911 models, there is a remarkable flatness and progressiveness to the way the 911 Dakar corners.
There’s less grip than more conventionally shod 911 models when you really begin to push on winding roads. But despite the generous tread depth, tall sidewalls and ultra-stiff carcass of the all-terrain tyres, the new model’s cornering ability is very impressive indeed.
The ride is no less striking. Bitumen bound, the reworked suspension deals with bumps with outstanding authority. The new long-travel springs and recalibrated dampers dissipate road shock quickly and effectively, making for impressive long-distance properties in either Normal or Sport modes. There is more tyre roar from the all-terrain tyres than you get in other 911 models, but it is never excessive to the point of being irritating.
It’s a tremendously compelling car to drive. Then you head off-road and discover a whole new side to the 911 and its ability to entertain.
The 911 Dakar feels right at home being hustled along heavily rutted gravel tracks at speeds of 100km/h and more with stones being flung up into its wheel wells and underbody. Big bumps that you expect to send a nasty jolt through the suspension are devoured within the added travel of the springs and outstanding properties of the dampers. There’s great suppleness to the action of the suspension, with nasty ridges and deep ruts always dealt with in quick and smart manner.
In Rallye mode, the four-wheel-drive system is programmed to deliver a rear-biased apportioning of power. Off-road mode provides a more balanced delivery of drive between the front and wheel axles, allowing the 911 Dakar to traverse rocky grades and surf sand dunes at speed in a truly impressive manner.
There are limits to where it will go and the amount of abuse it can handle, of course. But the 911 Dakar’s sheer ability in off-road conditions is paramount to its appeal.
The steering, always a 911 delight, is wonderfully tactile for a car conceived to go off-road. There is loads of feel and supreme gearing from the electro-mechanical system, with additional assistance from the rear-wheel steer function. It allows the 911 Dakar to point with great immediacy and accuracy. It also provides it with a commendably tight turning circle, which comes in handy in tricky off-road conditions.
In the wilds of Morocco, it’s all the convincing you need to reduce the tyre pressures and head cross-country at high speed. Here, the 911 Dakar fully lives up to its name, allowing you to run at high speeds for extended periods on all variety of surfaces and conditions.
The additional ground clearance and extended ramp angles achieved in Rallye and Off-Road modes provide the tools for it to traverse rock terrain at lower speeds with great authority.
It is in the dunes where the new Porsche feels at its brilliant best, though. With potent performance and magnificent traction, you can surf the sand with confidence. With a relatively small 67L fuel tank, though, the optional fuel canister is a must for anyone planning to head deep into the outback.
With just two seats and minimal boot capacity, the 911 Dakar lacks the accommodation and outright practicality offered by dedicated performance SUVs. The rather uncompromising bucket seats, with their high sides, also makes it an effort to climb in and out of. But still, the 911 Dakar promises to be a very effective car in city conditions.
The added raised ride height means you’ll never have to worry about scraping the front end on parking garage ramps, taller gutters or speed bumps. The long-travel suspension also provides it with greater everyday comfort than any existing 911 model.
All that aside, you’d buy it for the looks alone. Tough and purposeful but with unmistakable 911 styling cues, it perfectly captures the visual essence of Porsche’s victorious Paris-Dakar rally cars.
It is already the world’s most decorated sports car. Now, the 911’s reach extends well into the performance off-roader ranks as well.
