Our Mazdaspeed 6 Revival Ditches The Turbo Four For 536 HP Of Electric Power

Mazda’s standing in the performance world right now is pretty thin, especially when you weigh it against a back catalog that includes the Mazdaspeed3 and 6, plus the RX-7 and RX-8. The MX-5 Miata still earns its keep with the purists, but beyond the roadster you have to rewind to the Mazdaspeed era and the days when the rotary ruled the roost to find anything that really mattered.

See: Jaguar’s 1,000-HP Answer To Bentley Looks Nothing Like The Jaguar You Knew

That got us thinking. What if Hiroshima’s quietly revived performance arm, Mazda Spirit Racing (MSR), turned its attention to the all-electric Mazda 6e and sharpened its claws? While there’s no indication that such a model is in development, we’ve envisioned what it could look like and explored its performance potential.

Subtle, But Sharp 

Mazda’s design team worked wonders reskinning the Deepal-based base 6e/EZ6, earning it the World Car of the Year Design award for 2026. Rather than ripping up the blueprints, we’ve taken a more restrained approach by giving it a lower, wider stance and aero-focused elements.

Up front, a closed-off grille sports a red-accented honeycomb pattern, while the bumper is reworked with deeper corner intakes and a pronounced splitter to aid front-end handling. In profile, the MSR’s pumped haunches wear larger, dark-finish alloys with Michelin Pilot Sport 5 rubber, while sculpted side skirts add visual aggression.

Around the back, our study sports a larger deployable spoiler, smoked taillights, and a diffuser that actually looks like it does something.

Luxury Focus

Inside, we’ve overhauled the cabin that’s more sport luxury than tarmac racer. The Nappa leather seats have been upgraded with deeper bolstering and RS-style honeycomb inserts. A thick-rim steering wheel, alloy pedals and unique graphics reinforce the performance brief.

See: BMW’s i3 Sedan Divided The Internet, So We Drew The i4 Coupe Instead

Customers have been vocal about the standard car’s reliance on the touchscreen, so our version brings physical controls back to the base of the infotainment display. The UX gains performance telemetry and driver-configurable drive modes.

Canyon Carving

The standard European market Mazda 6e.

The 6e’s Changan-derived, rear-drive setup hasn’t exactly blown critics away with its uninspiring handling and middling performance. We believe this could be overcome by improved hardware, such as stiffer bushings, lower ride height, and recalibrated electric power steering.

Other upgrades could include adaptive damping, thicker anti-roll bars, and larger brakes with 8-piston calipers. Electric motor torque vectoring would go beyond Mazda’s current G-Vectoring Control software, offering improved turn-in and exit speeds.

Variable drive modes would span from comfort to track, featuring aggressive regen mapping, simulated gear shifts, boost mode, and a stability control system that allows some rear-end slip to aid rotation.

Double Trouble

Unlike the donor car, we envisage the Spirit Racing 6e to be a dual-motor affair with up to 536 horsepower (400 kW). It would be all-wheel-drive, with adjustable rear bias. Performance metrics? Realistically, the 0-60 mph (96 km/h) sprint should be completed within the low 3-second mark.

Also: Nissan’s New Skyline Is Coming To America As The Q50, And It May Bring Back The Manual

Battery-wise, it’ll employ the same 78kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery as standard, delivering a WLTP-rated range of up to 430 miles (550km). DC fast charging will enable 10–80% top ups in 24 minutes.

Amped Rivals

While proposed as a performance-handling EV, the 6e MSR would square against the Tesla Model 3 Performance and Hyundai Ioniq 6 N, rather than BMW’s insane upcoming quad-motor iM3. Other rivals could include the Polestar 2, the BYD Seal Performance, and the MG IM5 Performance.

Should the spirit of Mazdaspeed be revived with the 6e? We’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.