Australian customers may like a Mazda electric car similar to the Deepal E07 SUV-ute 'multitruck', a company executive has claimed.
A Mazda electric vehicle based on the Deepal E07 SUV-ute mashup from its Chinese joint-venture partner Changan could resonate with Australian customers, according to the executive leading the development of the 6e and CX-6e.
The Deepal E07 – sold in its Chinese home market as the Changan Nevo E07 – is an electric large coupe SUV with an opening rear window and a flip-down tailgate, allowing it to transform into a ute-style vehicle, albeit with limited towing, payload and off-road capabilities.
It is sold in Australia alongside the more-traditional Deepal S07 electric SUV, which is the basis for the Mazda CX-6e built and developed in China by Changan Mazda, a joint venture between the Japanese brand and Deepal's parent company.
Asked if Mazda could base a future EV on the Deepal E07 'multitruck', Hiroshi Ozawa, general manager of the Changan Mazda technical development centre, told Australian media it is a "very interesting vehicle".
"I can not talk about [future Mazda product]… but in my personal view, the Deepal E07, the 'pick-up truck' that also opens up. It's a very interesting vehicle. I like that kind of vehicle," he said.
"In Australia, I think customers may also like that kind of vehicle, but Mazda is not producing any commercial trucks on its own."
Mazda's only ute, the ladder-frame diesel-engined BT-50, is currently based on the Isuzu D-Max, and the brand previously collaborated with Ford.
"If there's a global need for such a vehicle, however, as part of our product portfolio, we may have to consider that as well," Ozawa added.
"But at this moment, in Changan Mazda, we don't see or study such a model."
The Deepal E07 is based on Changan's SDA electric-car architecture – rather than the EPA platform used by the Mazda 6e, CX-6e, Deepal S05 and S07, among other models – with rear- or all-wheel-drive.
In Australia, the E07 RWD features a 252kW/365Nm electric motor, while the AWD Performance upgrades to dual electric motors for a combined 440kW and 645Nm, resulting in a 4.0-second 0-100km/h acceleration time.
Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
