Mazda adds LiDAR to CX-6e, rolls out “self driving” tech in China

Mazda has added LiDAR (a laser sensor that maps surroundings in 3D) to a new version of its CX-6e electric SUV, called the EZ-60 Laser Edition, for the Chinese market. The system combines LiDAR with 11 cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and three radar units to give the car what Mazda calls "advanced L2" driver assistance, plus navigation-on-autopilot and automated parking. This is built with Chinese automaker Changan, Mazda's joint-venture partner, and the CX-6e is the first "global" product from that partnership, having already launched earlier this year in Asia, Europe, and other markets with a 190 kW electric motor and a roughly 375-mile-range battery.

The new system can handle highway tasks like lane changes, merging, and entering or exiting ramps, and in cities it uses Tencent mapping to navigate around construction, tight roads, and unpredictable traffic. It also includes stronger automatic emergency braking that can stop for obstacles at higher speeds and steer around them if it can't stop in time. Mazda says the system passed a series of government safety tests in China, including night driving in rain and narrow mountain roads, earning a safety certification there.

None of this affects US homeowners directly, since the CX-6e with this LiDAR upgrade is not sold in the United States. It's worth knowing about mainly as a sign of how fast automated-driving features are advancing in electric vehicles abroad, in case similar systems eventually make their way to EVs sold here.