The all-new third generation of the Mazda6 has been officially launched in Malaysia, the second country in ASEAN to get Mazda's flagship.

Although the focus has been on the sedan variant, Prima Merdu is also importing the Grand Touring variant - which has a stationwagon bodystyle - for Bermaz Motor to distribute. It's been a very long time that a large Japanese stationwagon variant has been offered in Malaysia and the positive response (and demand) suggests that the market has matured and buyers also appreciate stationwagons.

While the Mazda sedan is available with a choice of a 2-litre or 2.5-litre engine, the Grand Touring variant is only available with a 2.5-litre engine.

Size-wise, the Grand Touring is actually marginally smaller than the sedan - which is a surprise - as its overall length is 65 mm shorter and the wheelbase is 2750 mm instead of being the same as the sedan's 2830 mm.

The reason for this is because the Grand Touring is targeted more towards European customers who want more cargo space, so a shorter cabin (resulting for a shorter wheelbase) has been incorporated.

The sedan, on the other hand, is expected to sell better in North America where customers want more interior space so it gets a longer wheelbase, giving extra legroom inside. As for Malaysians, it probably doesn't matter a lot since there's a lot of space for the average Asian body.

The new Mazda6 has been developed from scratch to incorporate the entire suite of SKYACTIV technologies which enable the CX-5, Mazda6 and future models to be lighter, more efficient and less polluting - without sacrificing that Zoom-Zoom character that Mazdas are well known for.

On-the-road prices in Peninsular Malaysia start at RM 159,455.50 (US$ 51,115) (including insurance) for the Mazda6 2.0 and RM 189,728.40 for the 2.5-litre version. The Grand Touring has a price tag of RM 193,832.40 and has a similar level of equipment as the 2.5-litre sedan, which is quite extensive. Five colour choices are available - White Pearl, Aluminium Metallic, Red, Grey and Blue.

Speaking to the media after the launch, Dato' Ben Yeoh, MD of Bermaz Motor, said that the order bank for the new Mazda6 has been so great that all the units committed for 2013 are already sold. "We would like to sell more but for now, I have to say that the AP limitations control the number of cars Prima Merdu can import from Japan," he explained but declined to give a specific number.

On whether the Mazda6 will be assembled locally, Dato' Yeoh said it's not out of the question but it will be dependent on demand. "Local assembly is the way to go if we want to increase the volume but we will see how great the demand is. At the moment, we are assembling the Mazda3 and in the very near future, assembly of the CX-5 will commence," he said.

The new Mazda6 will be available at authorised Mazda showrooms nationwide and on March 25th.