Mazda has significantly upgraded the driver assistance abilities of its CX-6e with a new LiDAR suite that means the SUV can handle advanced navigation on autopilot and automated parking, among a range of other advances.

The step up means the CX-6e – which was developed in partnership with China’s Changan brand – now delivers advanced L2 levels of autonomy, at which point a vehicle can manage steering, braking and acceleration as long as it’s being monitored by a human driver who is ready to step in at any time. 

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Changan has supplied much of the tech and engineering for the model, combining that with Mazda’s design language. The EZ-60 Lazer Edition that has been rolled out in China now includes LiDAR that works hand-in-hand with 11 high-definition cameras, millimetre-wave radar sensors and 12 ultrasonic sensors.

All of that has paved the way for the CX-6e to run highway lane-change assist, highway obstacle avoidance assist, ramp entry and exit assist, and service area entry and exit assist. The model can make autonomous decisions on navigation and can, in Changan Mazda’s words, “easily handle complex road conditions such as cutting in, construction detours, and narrow road passages”. 

The Mazda’s autonomous emergency braking abilities have been honed for “high-frequency risk scenarios” like stopping for stationary objects from speeds up to 110km/h and stopping for pedestrians at speeds up to 90km/h. Additionally, if stopping before the hazard isn’t possible, the system will help the driver swerve to avoid the danger.

The CX-6e runs a 78kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery feeding a single rear-mounted e-motor making 190kW, with Mazda claiming a driving range of 483km. Recharging from 10-80 per cent takes a claimed 24 minutes, with a full home refuel completed in around eight hours. 

It takes around 7.9 seconds to go from 0-100km, with a top speed of 249km/h, and the styling pushes the brand into new territory with detailed exterior styling including an illuminated ‘Signature Wing’ grille treatment that flows into the LED running lights, and headlights that have been dropped further down the front bumper compared to its stablemates.