Mazda is removing the 6 saloon and estate from its UK line-up, due to dwindling sales in the segment.

The Mazda 6 competed alongside the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia, both of which were axed last year.

More recently, the similarly-sized Volvo S60 was removed from sale.

Mazda said it is shifting the focus to its new CX-60 SUV, which is the brand's first plug-in hybrid, and the established CX-5 SUV.

A spokesperson for the brand said: "SUV consumer demand continues to grow and this is where the focus is for dealers and in the UK market. This combined with declining UK sales in the saloon and estate car sector, mean we have ended sales of the Mazda6 in the UK."

The Mazda 6 was available in the UK for 20 years, spanning three generations.In its final guise, the car was offered with a 2.0-litre or 2.5-litre petrol engine. Production of the diesel variant ended in 2020. Hybrid powertrains were not available, which hindered the car's fleet performance in later years.

It accounted for less than 3% of the manufacturer's UK sales in 2022 and less than half of those registered were classified as fleet sales.