Japan Report: Mazda Unveils the Mazda6 in Japan

Mazda’s had a big coming out party in Tokyo for the new Atenza, the car that America and the rest of the globe will know better as the Mazda6, of course.

After all the show previews, here at last is the real production deal in Japan with full specs, prices, and news of America’s own supersized version coming later.

(Click through to read more about the Mazda6.)

For the record, Japan’s hot new Atenza comes in three body styles, sedan, sport, and wagon, with a choice of 2.0-liter (148 horsepower) and 2.5-liter (164-168 horsepower) gas engines. In round figures, stickers run between $19,400 and $25,000.

No, there will be no new turbo/all-wheel-drive Mazdaspeed 6 spin-off. But there is talk of a semi-warm Mazdaspeed Atenza (in Japan, at least) with standard engine but a bevy of chassis and body kit tweaks to up the sporting ante. That car was previewed in ‘concept’ form at the Tokyo Auto Salon custom/tuner show a couple of weeks back.

America will get its own locally-built, long wheelbase V-6 edition of the new Mazda6 “within this year,” according to sources, the V-6 reputedly offering more power and better economy than the 274 horsepower 2.3-liter four cylinder turbo in the outgoing Mazdaspeed6.

From launch in 2002, the Mazda6 has been a huge hit for Mazda which now plans to sell 300,000 units of this new version globally and that number could rise if and when Mazda commits to its own North American manufacturing plant after 2010, an idea that’s been kicking around inside the company for a couple of years now.

But Mazda’s future is tied in inextricably with Ford’s so a lot depends on how the Mullally FoMoCo revival plan and current economic malaise pans out.

Meanwhile, this new Atenza/6 looks very hot…