Since its launch on October 26, the Changan Mazda MAZDA EZ-6 has dominated the market. This new vehicle, dubbed the “Four Good Flagship,” sets a new value standard for joint venture B-class electric vehicles. With a starting price of 139,800 yuan (19620$), the EZ-6 shows strong commitment to domestic users. At the launch event, the EZ-6 successfully demonstrated its safety by overcoming the industry’s first “truck horizontal impact and scraping challenge.” This success highlights Mazda’s safety expertise in the electric era. Recently, Changan Mazda and Beijing Institute of Technology’s Shenzhen Automotive Research Institute live-streamed a breakdown of the crash test vehicle, showcasing the strong safety foundation of joint venture electric vehicles.
Why choose side impact collisions with underbody scraping? Statistics show that side collisions account for over a quarter of traffic accidents. Their fatality rate ranks second only to head-on collisions. The side of a vehicle is its weakest part. Unlike the front, which has a long engine compartment for cushioning, the side has doors right next to passengers. This increases the risk of injury in side collisions. The EZ-6 “Truck Side Impact with Underbody Scraping Challenge” simulates a scenario where a vehicle at a T-intersection gets struck violently on the side by a speeding truck. This causes the vehicle to slide sideways. The underbody battery pack scrapes the curb, leading to a series of collisions with walls. This scenario tests the vehicle’s structural strength, airbag protection, and battery safety under extreme conditions.
In this challenge, the EZ-6 performed as a safety model. Its cabin structure remained intact. Passengers had ample survival space. The A, B, and C pillars showed no structural failure. The restraint system functioned well. Seat mounting points and seat frames showed no significant deformation. The seat belts deployed on time. Side airbags, side curtains, and far-end airbags also deployed promptly. They expanded normally. Contact points between the airbags and the dummies demonstrated effective protection for passengers. In terms of electrical safety, the EZ-6 cut off high voltage quickly after the collision. The battery pack did not smoke, catch fire, or explode. For rescue, the vehicle activated hazard lights promptly. The E-Call emergency feature initiated automatically and dialed out. A human operator connected. Regarding occupant protection, the overall score for the dummies met the required limits.
Reveal hidden safety details through complete disassembly. Without thorough analysis, one cannot see the full skeletal structure of a vehicle. Only complete disassembly uncovers the unique safety architecture of the EZ-6. During a side impact, the bottom beam, doors, B-pillar, and roof absorb most of the impact energy. This evaluation focuses on the hardness of high-strength steel and the safety design of the structure. The EZ-6 features a “7 horizontal and 5 vertical cage structure.” The body acts as a sturdy cage. When a side collision occurs, the impact force disperses and transmits throughout the body, preventing excessive stress at any single point. Moreover, over 86% of the EZ-6’s body uses steel with a hardness of over 340 MPa. The roof incorporates a 2,000 MPa reinforcement beam, and the doors contain six 1,500 MPa anti-collision beams. Therefore, after a severe impact from a large truck, the EZ-6’s cockpit structure remains intact. The A, B, and C pillars show no bending or deformation, and the doors open normally.
Dr. Zhang Ruifeng, director and senior engineer at Shenzhen Aviation Academy, demonstrated the EZ-6’s safety structure using a vivid model. He explained the vehicle’s resilience. “We simulate two side impacts, one undercarriage scrape, and three severe conditions at once. This safety challenge mirrors three traffic accidents occurring simultaneously. The current deformation shows that the EZ-6 excels in passive safety. The cage structure, designed with seven horizontal and five vertical elements, distributes force evenly, much like holding an egg. This design prevents crushing. The multi-path force dispersion principle allows impact forces to spread evenly from front to back. It reduces localized impact on the body, enhancing overall crash performance. This effectively protects passengers and creates the vehicle’s ‘life defense line.’”
In the face of a truck collision, a strong exterior alone isn’t enough. A soft interior is also necessary to protect passengers. The vehicle must have multiple airbags that deploy quickly during a crash. This wraps passengers in safety and prevents secondary injuries. The EZ-6 comes standard with nine airbags. It includes driver and passenger airbags, front side airbags, side curtains, front far-end airbags, and rear airbags. The total airbag volume reaches 350 liters, covering an area of 25,000 square centimeters. The side curtain measures 2 meters in length. The passenger airbag has a volume of 120 liters, while the front far-end airbag has 43 liters. Together with dual pretensioners and dynamic locking seat belts, these features protect passengers immediately upon impact.
The EZ-6 features front-end airbags. These airbags prevent secondary injuries from passenger collisions. Research shows that nearly half of injuries in side collisions come from far-end impacts. Severe crashes can cause the heads of front passengers to collide. This injury can be life-threatening. In this crash, the EZ-6’s front-end airbags deployed quickly. They effectively blocked the violent collision between the heads of front passengers. They played a crucial role in saving lives.
Users of new energy vehicles worry about battery fires and explosions after severe impacts. The EZ-6 battery pack shows its safety management capabilities after disassembly. Dong Bo, Changan Mazda’s safety officer, explained the EZ-6 battery pack’s design to the audience. The high-rigidity protective shell of the Qiji battery prevents significant damage to the pack’s structure. The battery’s fastening points did not experience major bolt deformation or tears after the impact. The battery’s bottom showed only minor friction. Most impact force gets absorbed by the car’s crossbeam and the battery pack’s reinforced crossbeam. Thus, the EZ-6 battery pack remains undamaged, preventing smoke or fire from structural failure.
The EZ-6 features a robust physical defense. It also includes the Qiji battery with digital battery management technology. This technology allows for 24-hour monitoring and achieves a 99% accuracy rate in early warnings. The digital temperature control system ensures safety even if the battery cells overheat. It prevents fire or self-ignition for 30 minutes after thermal runaway, far exceeding the national standard of 5 minutes for escape. This provides effective protection for passengers. To demonstrate confidence in battery safety, the EZ-6 launch policy offers a lifetime zero-fire guarantee valued at 7,999 yuan (1120$). This guarantee applies to all owners and has no mileage limits, setting a new standard in the joint venture new energy sector.
Professor Sun Chao, director of the Shenzhen Automotive Research Institute at Beijing Institute of Technology, praised the safety architecture of the EZ-6. He stated, “The EZ-6 excels in technology and user experience. It reflects Changan Mazda’s commitment to automotive safety and pursuit of excellence. The concepts of ‘safety without accidents’ and ‘safety has no low version’ are well-deserved.” Currently, the EZ-6 is in high demand. Buyers can enjoy eight EZ privilege packages worth up to 30,000 yuan (4210$). This includes the EZ renewal gift: up to 10,000 yuan (1400$) in trade-in subsidies; EZ safety gift: 7,999 yuan (1120$) for lifetime zero-fuel rights, no limits on owners or mileage; EZ upgrade gift: 5,000 yuan (700$) in optional package discounts; EZ energy replenishment gift: 3,999 yuan (560$) for a Bluetooth charging station; EZ entertainment gift: 1,390 yuan (200$) for data, free basic data for life, and two years of free entertainment data; EZ escort gift: 1,399 yuan (200$) for intelligent driving protection, with up to 6 million yuan in coverage for new owners in the first year; EZ vehicle ownership gift: 699 yuan (100$) vehicle ownership package; EZ finance gift: starting from 1.99% annual rate for personal loans of 12-60 months. For details, consult local dealers or online customer service.