Mumbai: Mazda, a subsidiary of the Ford Motor Co, unveiled the all-new Mazda6, designed specifically for the North American market.

The new Mazda6 developed by  Mazda North American Operations (MNAO), the company's North American operations features a larger body and greater engine displacement to meet the particular demands of the North American market.

The mid-size four-door sedan segment is powered by Mazda's newly developed 2.5-litre in line four-cylinder (I4) engine and its 3.7-liter V6 engine. The V6 will be coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission with manual-shift mode.

Daniel T Morris, Mazda's senior managing executive officer, marketing and overseas sales said, ''Following the CX-7 and the CX-9, the 2009 North American Mazda6 is the third model that was designed and engineered specifically to meet the needs of our North American customers,''

 ''The midsize sedan segment is extremely competitive and the Mazda6 will be up against some of the best vehicles in the industry,'' he added

Based on strong global performance, the Japanese car maker also reported its highest net earnings of  ¥91.84 billion ($882 million) in FY2007,  up 24.5 per cent compared to the previous year.

The company's operating profit was up 2 per cent reaching a record ¥162.1 billion  and revenues increased by 7 per cent year-on-year to 3,475.8 billion yen, crossing the ¥3-trillion  level for the second consecutive year. Global retail volume also increased by 5 per cent during the period to reach 1,363,000 units.

Mazda projects a global retail volume of 1.48 million units in FY2008, a 9 per cent increase over FY2007. With the introduction of the new Mazda6 North American model in FY2008, together with contributions from the Mazda6 and Mazda2, global sales are forecast to increase.

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