Mazda finally ends the photo striptease and exposes the entire redesigned, 2014 Mazda6 midsize sedan.

Its unveiling at the Moscow International Automobile Salon today highlights the importance of the Russian auto market to car companies. And it caps what's become the auto industry's routine of handing out photos of parts of the car, leading up to the to-da! moment at some auto show.

U.S. sales begin "early next year," is as specific as Mazda will be.

The 6 slams into a U.S. market bristling with aggressive midsize competition. Brand-new entries will include Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Chevrolet Malibu. Recent remakes are VW Passat, Toyota Camry, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima.

Mazda warns that the data sheet for the Moscow car applies only to the Russian market, and that specs for other markets will be announced later. But, assuming the car company doesn't go to the expense and trouble of re-sizing the sedan for America, the redo won't satisfy people eager for a notably bigger version of the car.

While the Mazda6 has an image as slightly undersized vs. rivals, it's actually bigger than the Camry, which is the best-selling car in the U.S. and second-best-selling vehicle of any kind, behind perennial champ, Ford's F-series pickups.

Based on the Russian numbers, the new 6 would be 2 inches shorter than the current model and close to 300 pounds lighter, riding on a nearly 2-in. longer wheelbase, which should open up more interior space.

Data for the Russian car:

191.5 in. long
72.4 in. wide
57.1 in. tall
111.4-in. wheelbase
2,948 to 3,102 lbs.

As an automotive journalist, I’ve had the pleasure of driving many newcars this year, however, there were a select few that really blew me away – surprisingly, a Kia was one of them – the 2013 Kia Optima SX Turbo to be specific.

Overall:

So, when it comes to the decision of which mid-sizesedan you should buy – the choice here (at least to me) is pretty clear. Our 2013 Kia Optima SX Turbo was priced at $31,925 and while that may be expensive for a Kia, that price tag is pretty outstanding considering all the technology, performance, interior quality and good looks you’re getting. If you’re not that concerned with performance you can opt for the 200-hp 2.4 liter Optima EX with all the bells and whistles for just over $27,000.

If egmCarTech had yearly awards – I would have to give the 2013 Kia Optima the award for the best mid-size familysedan for 2012. Enough said.

Ride and handling fit into the upper echelon of the segment. The engines work well in concert with the independent suspension, giving the Optima a quick, nimble feel. The Optima's steering is a little hefty and responds quickly, doing a better job than the similar Sonata at controlling a little bit of wandering that comes with some kinds of road surfaces and its fuel-economy-aiding tires. All the while, ride quality is firm but comfortable, and the Optima's cabin is a quiet, refined place to be.

http://www.insideline.com/kia/optima...t-wrap-up.html
Observed Fuel Economy: We averaged 22 mpg in the 2011 Kia Optima Turbo over 19,035 miles of driving. This equaled the EPA city estimations. Our best single tank of 31 mpg was well shy of the EPA highway calculations of 34 mpg. Its fun-to-drive character distracted from consistent, fuel-efficient driving. Still, in the fuel economy category, this Turbo did not live up to our expectations.

Mazda’s new Mazda6 was just officially unveiled at the Moscow Motor Show, but the Japanese automaker is already talking about future configurations of what it hopes will quickly become its bread-and-butter midsize model.

The automaker’s chief designer, Akira Tamatani, told Britain’s Autocar that both two-door and all-wheel-drive versions of the Mazda6 are on the drawing table.

“There is no decision, but I would love to make one,” Tamatani said of a proposed coupe. “The first job is to make the saloon and estate, but from this position a coupe is not so far away.”

Since Mazda is using the Mazda6 as more of a styling statement than its predecessors, a coupe might help lure buyers of all sorts into showrooms, even though it wouldn’t likely be a high-volume unit. In North America, the only midsize coupes left are the Honda Accord Coupe and the Nissan Altima Coupe, neither of which sells in large numbers.

The all-wheel-drive Mazda6 would likely have a much greater appeal, especially in some European and Asian markets, where the Mazda6 will be a premium offering.

“There are no set plans, but we are studying the possibility of introducing all-wheel drive – it would be a good weapon with which to establish the brand,” Mazda6 program manager Hiroshi Kajiyama told the magazine on the sidelines of the Moscow show. “It is my belief that there is a very strong opportunity for us if we bring it to market.”

Mazda’s short-lived Mazdaspeed6 sedan featured standard all-wheel-drive, but the automaker has never sold a mainstream model with the traction-enhancing engineering in North America. Speaking of Mazdaspeed6s, rumors persist that a turbocharged version of the shapely new sedan has already been green-lighted.

Year: US Sales, Canadian Sales (source)
2002: 2042, n/a
2003: 66,118, n/a
2004: 72,148, 10,213
2005: 71,447, 11,738
2006: 66,203, 9971
2007: 57,575, 8451
2008: 52,590, 6561
2009: 34,866, 6614
2010: 35,662, 6092
2011: 35,711, 3676

Mazda is developing a coupe version of its all-new Mazda6, a new report finds. Although Mazda has denied it is working on a Mazda6 coupe, the internet rumor mill suggests the sportier model will launch sometime in 2014.

According to the UK's Auto Express, Mazda is developing a new Mazda6 coupe to join sedan and wagon variants of the mid-sizer. The Mazda6 coupe will reportedly arrive as a three-door hatch, offering more cargo space that a traditional two-door. The current version of the Mazda6 sedan is offered with a hatchback, albeit not in the United States market.

Mazda is looking to move the 6 nameplate up-market with the latest iteration of the car, and that will be reflected in the coupe's intended rival – the Audi A5.

The Mazda6 coupe will presumably be offered with the standard car's drivetrains, but Mazda is also said to be working on a high-performance version of the car, not unlike the previous MazdaSpeed6. A 260 horsepower turbocharged 2.0L is tipped for duty in the performance model, with all-wheel drive a distinct possibility.

If the Mazda6 coupe ultimately comes to fruition, look for it to land in dealer showrooms sometime in 2014.