Mazda 6e attracted over 7,000 European buyers in under five months since September launch, with more than 50% conquest sales versus projected 75-80% returning customersFormer VW e-Golf owners skipping ID.3 for higher-segment 6e instead of ID.7, while company fleets switching from Passat combustion to electric 6e despite no wagon optionBuilt in China by Changan-Mazda joint venture as five-door liftback related to Deepal L07, targets 40,000 combined 6e and CX-6e European sales by year-end Mazda's first EV failed to gain traction among European buyers. Slow sales of the MX-30 forced the company to prematurely pull the plug on the electric crossover in 2025. Even the range-extending version which used a rotary engine as a generator has since been retired from the continent. In its place comes a new wave of larger EVs with Chinese connection, and the strategy appears to be working far better than Mazda's homegrown electric efforts. While the CX-6e won't go on sale until summer, the 6e has been available in Europe since last September. The mid-size model has attracted more than 7,000 buyers in less than five months since arriving on the European continent. Built in China by the Changan-Mazda joint venture, the 6e is closely related to the Deepal L07 and configured as a more practical five-door liftback rather than traditional four-door sedan. We're now learning that Zoom-Zoom's EV is successfully luring buyers away from other brands, particularly Volkswagen. Conquest sales exceed projections dramatically The company had projected that as many as 80 percent of buyers would be returning customers making the switch to electric. The numbers show that more than half are actually coming from other brands entirely. Mazda Europe CEO Martijn ten Brink told Automotive News Europe that the 6e is popular among people moving on from their first EV, suggesting dissatisfaction with initial electric vehicle ownership experiences drove them to consider alternatives. He noted that buyers include former Volkswagen e-Golf owners who chose to skip the ID.3 and instead upgrade to the higher-segment 6e, to the detriment of the similarly sized ID.7. Additionally, some companies are switching from Passat fleet cars to the 6e, which doesn't come in a wagon body style like the gas-fueled model or the electric ID.7. That fleet buyers are accepting a liftback instead of traditional sedan or wagon suggests the 6e offers compelling advantages beyond body configuration. "We expected 75-80 percent to be Mazda customers who switched to electric, but instead more than 50 percent have been conquest," ten Brink explained. "We attracted a little bit of everything, from people buying their second electric car after already owning a VW e-Golf or a Nissan Leaf, to company car customers who left a combustion VW Passat to switch to electric." However, VW is unlikely to be too concerned about losing some customers to Mazda. Wolfsburg's full-year sales results show that electric car sales in Europe rose by 49.1 percent to about 247,900 units. The ID.7 mentioned earlier accounted for roughly 76,600 units across both body styles, a massive 133.9-percent year-over-year increase. Mazda's conquest sales represent a rounding error compared to VW's total electric volume. Still, it's an encouraging start for Mazda, which hopes to sell as many as 40,000 EVs in Europe by the end of the year once the CX-6e hits the market. Although both the liftback and SUV are also sold in China with a range-extending engine, the company's European boss says neither version is coming to the Old Continent. Mazda cites the high costs of bringing EREVs to Europe, as these would face the same 30-percent tariffs as for EVs but for niche versions unlikely to generate sufficient volume.
