Mazda raises the coupe flag

The launch of this Mazda 6 coupe by FAW Mazda has far-reaching significance: it is the first to introduce the concept of coupe in the mid-size car market and take a clear-cut attack on the segmented market. We are not surprised that FAW Mazda will launch the Ma 6 five-door hatchback version (5HB), but the manufacturer does not simply regard it as enriching the Ma 6 model series. The implications are much bigger...

What is a coupe?

As the name implies, a coupe is a sedan + a sports car. There are two forms: a sports car element can be added on the basis of a sedan, such as the Ma 6 coupe and the very shocking Mercedes-Benz CLS when it was launched; It is a sports car in its bones, but put on the practical elements of a sedan, such as the four-door sports car RX-8, Maserati Quattroport and so on.

For the time being, who adds who, one thing is for sure: the role of the coupe itself is contradictory. On the one hand, it emphasizes the need to be good at running and sporty, but on the other hand, it should not lose the function of passenger-carrying and practical functions of the car. However, car manufacturers want to "indulge" the market's greed for perfection, so the coupe-oriented models have been born in an endless stream, and the proportion of sales of the same series of models has gradually increased, which is more obvious in the European market. .

In the model design itself, the coupe does have an advantage. When the world's major car manufacturers are popular with a unified family profile, and the wheelbase of the model is relatively determined, the more tricky way to deal with it is to change the rear of the car. In order to highlight its sporty image, a coupe can often be designed to be shorter than a sedan (Saloon) at the rear, which is closer to the sports car shape of "long front and short rear" in the minds of the public. Due to the less weight at the rear, the handling potential is higher, which is very popular in the European market.

In addition, without the burden of the large tail compartment, the designer can increase the rear wing and change the tailgate inclination more freely, and the tailgate design of the large hatchback like the Ma 6 coupe and Skoda Ouya can also be used. By folding down the rear seats to achieve the effect of expanding the luggage space, the practicality is no worse than that of the sedan model.

Because of both the capability of a sedan and its sporty character, the foreign price of a coupe is generally higher than that of a sedan. Chinese consumers should know this.

How big is the coupe market?

According to FAW Mazda: After the rapid development period of the past five years, China's auto market will show a more subdivided state in the future. Simply put, the practice of using one car to attend multiple occasions and play multiple roles will gradually change. Instead, more families will own a second car, and consumers will integrate more into the car selection process. Personal car attitude, personalized models will be more favored. The Ma 6 coupe that FAW Mazda is launching now and the Ma 6 wagon (Wagon), which will be launched at the end of the year, are actions made in response to these market changes.

To be honest, we can't say what the market performance of Mazda's two new cars will be for the time being, just as we couldn't see the prospect of SUVs in the Chinese market back then, but when people see more MINIs in the streets When the Cooper, Guangben Hatchback Fit, Hyundai Coupe and other personalized cars are no longer all-in-one sedan, we can conclude that the era of personalized cars in the Chinese market is not far away.

In fact, compared to SUVs, coupes, and station wagons, the coupe is more compromised. Like the Ma 6 coupe, it has a good balance of design, function, and driving performance, and the hatchback shape does not deviate too much from people's concept of "a head and a tail" of traditional cars. Therefore, it is not difficult to be accepted by mass consumers ideologically; the fields it covers have not escaped from the large-scale mid-size car market, and the market itself has considerable absorption to support its survival. Taken together, the Ma 6 coupe is new in terms of selling points and packaging, not technology or design. The move to launch a coupe is not risky in terms of the market.

It is worth mentioning that the launch of the Ma 6 coupe also means that the Ma 6 bid farewell to the situation where a single model dominates the world. The Ma 6 sedan can return to a more business and stable position. The two major themes of sports and leisure are taken over by the Ma 6 coupe and the Ma 6 station wagon. In this way, the three models in the same series will go hand in hand and will become FAW Mazda in 2006. market trick.

Ride freely

Because we have done a detailed evaluation of the new Ma 6 before, and even the imported Ma 6 coupe has also been tested, everyone should be quite familiar with the Ma 6, and only the coupe will be introduced here. Sports cars are new in those places.

First of all, in terms of appearance, it uses a sporty air intake grille, adds a rear spoiler, a rear spoiler, and the fog lights are wrapped in black rubber. As a result, the overall effect is suddenly much more dynamic, making people feel that the ordinary version of the Ma 6 has also become subtle.

Under the condition of no change in body length (4670mm), the coupe adopts a large hatchback shape, and the conventional luggage compartment volume is maintained at 500L, but you only need to pull a pull ring in the trunk to flatten the rear seat, then you can Free up a huge flat space to place large items, and the ductility of this space is a bit like an MPV car.

The cabin is similar to the sedan version. The sound system is designed by BOSE company in the United States. The seven speakers include a Richbass subwoofer that is cleverly placed under the spare tire position. The overall surround sound effect should be very good, but unfortunately at that time Didn't make time for a serious audition.

In terms of mechanics, the Ma 6 coupe uses a 2.3-liter straight-four engine (the sedan version of the 2.0 engine is not available for the time being), and can be equipped with a six-speed manual transmission or a five-speed automatic transmission. Of course, the 2.3 manual version best matches the character of this car. Due to the lack of test time, I only did simple winding and short-distance acceleration, but the excellent chassis and power cooperation of the Ma 6 still gave a good impression. Originally, the Ma 6 sedan version with excellent handling performance has already attracted many buyers who like to drive. The launch of the coupe is undoubtedly very attractive to this group of users.

At the time of the test drive, there was no pricing for such an attractive Ma 6 coupe, and it was more certain that it would be slightly more expensive than the equivalent sedan version. However, in our opinion, the image and taste provided by the Ma 6 coupe is unique among the current domestic cars of the same price.

Bose Audio System

The American professional audio company Bose has specially made a new audio system for the Mazda coupe. Previously, the system was only used in a few high-end cars such as Audi and Cadillac. The system has a total of 7 speakers, 3.6cm high frequency speakers on the rear-view mirrors on both sides, 16.5cm wide-band speakers on the front doors on both sides, custom balanced Bose 2000 amplifiers under the passenger seat, 13cm full-range speakers on the rear doors, Below the position where the spare tire is placed, there is a 13cm Richbass speaker (100W) with a low-frequency reflex subwoofer and a customized balanced dual-tone power amplifier. The audio power of the whole car is 200W, which ensures the restoration of the sound in the car from the front and rear, and provides the highest level for the occupants in the car. music enjoyment.

The Wagon version will see you in August

The Ma 6 wagon version (Wagon) will be launched in August, when it will become the highest-level domestic touring sedan. The selling point of the Touring Ma 6 is, of course, the large trunk. The rear seat and the luggage compartment are separated by a grid-shaped luggage net. The space is better than that of European rivals such as the BMW 3 Series Wagon and the Audi A4 Avent. The body proportion of the touring version is coordinated, and there is no cumbersome feeling of dragging a big box, especially after the large surround is installed, it adds a sporty personality. Power will also use 2.0 and 2.3-liter engines, five-speed automatic transmission as the main push. The Ma 6 Touring Edition will not only enrich the product lineup of Ma 6, but will also test the acceptance of the station wagon once again by the Chinese. We will wait and see how the market performs.