The Mazda CX-6e has an unusual feature that allows drivers to speak to people outside the vehicle. The Mazda CX-6e external speaker can play preset warnings, read custom messages typed by the driver and even broadcast the driver’s voice.
Mazda added the system to help drivers communicate with pedestrians and cyclists. Australian testing also showed that the Mazda CX-6e external speaker can be used for messages that have little to do with road safety, including profanity.
Mazda CX-6e External Speaker Features
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Pedestrian warning | Plays a message to get a pedestrian’s attention. |
| Message to another driver | Lets the driver tell another driver to go ahead. |
| Custom message | The driver can type a message on the touchscreen and play it outside. |
| Driver’s voice | The driver can speak through the external speaker. |
| Recorded voice | The system can play the driver’s recorded voice. |
| Swear words | Australian testing found that custom messages could include profanity. |
Why the Mazda CX-6e Has an External Speaker
EVs are very quiet at low speeds, so pedestrians and cyclists may not hear one coming, especially in a busy parking lot or on a city street.
The Mazda CX-6e external speaker gives the driver another way to get someone’s attention. Instead of using the horn, the driver can play a spoken warning outside the vehicle.
The system includes preset messages for situations such as asking a pedestrian to look up from their phone or telling another driver to go ahead when both cars are stopped.
That gives the driver a way to speak to people outside the vehicle without using the horn.
How the External Speaker Works
The Mazda CX-6e external speaker is connected to an external announcement system that the driver can operate from inside the vehicle.
The system includes preset messages, but drivers can also type their own messages using the vehicle’s touchscreen. The vehicle then reads the message through the speaker outside the car.
The system can also broadcast the driver’s voice. That gives the Mazda CX-6e external speaker a function similar to a small public-address system.
This means the driver is not limited to a fixed list of safety warnings.
Drivers Can Type Their Own Messages
The ability to create custom messages is where the Mazda CX-6e external speaker becomes unusual.
A driver can type a message and have the vehicle read it aloud outside. Australian journalists tested the feature and found that the system did not appear to block profanity from custom messages. Australian report on the Mazda CX-6e external speaker
The driver can also record their own voice and play it through the external speaker.
That gives the Mazda CX-6e external speaker two very different uses. It can deliver a simple warning to someone outside the car, but it can also be used to say almost anything the driver wants.
The Feature Can Be Used in Traffic Arguments
The safety purpose behind the Mazda CX-6e external speaker is easy to understand, but custom messages create another possibility.
A driver who is frustrated with another vehicle could use the speaker to direct an insult at the other driver. Someone could also use a recorded message instead of the horn during a traffic dispute.
That is different from a normal vehicle horn. A horn produces a short warning sound. The Mazda CX-6e external speaker allows a driver to choose the words that other people hear.
Australian testing found that the system could deliver custom messages without the type of restrictions that would keep drivers limited to safety-related announcements. Australian testing of the Mazda CX-6e announcement system
Why the Speaker Could Still Be Useful
The Mazda CX-6e external speaker is not only about unusual messages.
A driver may encounter a pedestrian who is looking at a phone and has not noticed the vehicle. A spoken warning could get that person’s attention without using the horn.
The system can also help when two drivers are trying to decide who should move first. A short spoken instruction can be clearer than repeatedly waving through the windshield.
The difference is that the same Mazda CX-6e external speaker can be used for both situations. The feature depends heavily on how the driver chooses to use it.
Could Mazda Change the System?
The attention around the Mazda CX-6e external speaker raises a simple question: should drivers have unrestricted control over what the vehicle broadcasts?
The CX-6e is listed on Mazda’s Australian website as an all-electric SUV with a focus on technology and a 26.45 inch touch screen. The website does not include information regarding the CX-6e’s exterior notification system, which was included in Mazda’s official press release.
Mazda could allow its customers to create their own personalized message via a software update that will limit the type of messages created by customers. Mazda may also provide an update to its system to only permit its own preset safety messages.
The Mazda CX-6e external speaker is another example of a feature originally developed for pedestrians to communicate with cars, but which could potentially be used in unexpected ways. The speaker provides drivers with the opportunity to warn others of their presence, however, the same speaker could transform a traffic dispute into a public conversation that all those around can listen to.
That makes the Mazda CX-6e external speaker one of the more unusual features found in a modern electric SUV.
