Mazda plans to drop the V-6 engine from the next generation mid-size Mazda6 sedan, replacing it with the company?s new Skyactiv four-cylinder engine recently introduced in the CX-5 crossover.

The current V-6 engine is rated at 272-hp, while the new four-cylinder Skyactiv is rated at 155-hp. ?Mazda would not say if a V-6 Skyactiv engine was in the works, but that it would not rule out such an engine. There are also rumors of a Skyactiv diesel for some future U.S. Mazda products.

The new generation Mazda6 design is based on the Takeri concept (shown here), which debuted at the Tokyo auto show in 2011 and again at this 2012 New York show.?

The current Mazda6 is built in Flat Rock, Mich., but the new Skyactiv model will be produced in Hiroshima, Japan. It should arrive at U.S. dealerships in the first quarter of 2013.?