Mazda Takeri Concept Will Be Basis for 2014 Mazda6: New York Auto Show 2012

The 2014 Mazda6 will be largely based on Mazda's Takeri concept vehicle, which made its North American debut at the New York Auto Show 2012, the company announced Wednesday.

The new Mazda6 will be based very closely on the show car, said Jim O'Sullivan, Mazda North America CEO.

The 2014 Mazda6 will be the second car after the 2013 CX-5 to carry the full suite of Mazda SkyActiv technologies. The 2014 Mazda6 will be available with a SkyActiv gasoline engine and either automatic or manual transmission.

Mazda struggled in the past year, losing ground in sales as the triumvirate of the strong yen, Japanese tsunami and Thai floods sapped momentum from the company.

O'Sullivan said, 2011 was a year of challenges, before listing the events.

Mazda has maintained that its struggles are merely the result of unexpected disasters, rather than any fault in its business plan. But O'Sullivan's speech at the New York Auto Show 2012 was notably lacking in details as to why Mazda has fared so much worse than other Japanese automakers who have faced the same challenges.

That said, O'Sullivan maintains that Mazda will gain strength in the coming year, and that by investing in the right vehicles at the right time, we will be spending the right money in the right way.

It seems unlikely that Mazda will do anything truly surprising with its design in the coming year, though. Mazda concept cars are never real flights of fancy, O'Sullivan said.

Mazda is planning on building new factories in Mexico, Russia and Southeast Asia to help insulate it from fluctuations in the value of the yen. The company embarked on a $1.67 billion share offering in March.