Archive for SEAT

SEAT calls it a “Spanish surprise” in its Paris 2008 press release but I’ll leave it up to you to judge whether a rehashed B7 Audi A4 is surprising in any way.

I first drove the B7 A4 back in 2006 and found it to be a very nice place to be in, especially in the 2.0 TFSI guise that I had my hands on.

The Exeo updates the A4’s interior with circular air conditioning vents instead of square ones as well as a more modern instrument panel featuring classy dark LCD panels with white fonts. The B7’s interior is still very much “in” and carries a more classy and contemporary look as compared to the B8’s more sporty jetfighter-cockpit feel.

Under the hood of the Paris show car was the 2.0 liter TFSI engine putting out 200 PS and 280Nm of torque, mounted longitudinally in the engine bay but driving the front wheels.

Look after the jump for more shots of the SEAT Exeo.

Click here to read the rest of SEAT Exeo: Official Photos and Details

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SEAT will be displaying its latest hot hatch at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, the SEAT Ibiza Cupra. Based on the 3-door hatchback bodystyle, the SEAT Ibiza Cupra features a 180 PS version of the 1.4 liter TSI engine featuring both a supercharger and a turbocharger to maximize boost pressure across all engine RPM ranges.

Power is put through the front wheels via a 7-speed DSG gearbox which you can manually shift via steering wheel paddle shifts.

Styling touches for the Cupra edition of the car include a new front bumper, little air intakes surrounding the front grille, 17 inch alloy wheels, and a new rear diffuser integrating a trapezoidal-shaped centrally-mounted exhaust tail pipe. On the interior you get Cupra sports seats and aluminium foot pedals.

Look for two more photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of SEAT Ibiza Cupra features 180PS twincharged 1.4L

It looks like our regular contributor Theophilus Chin got it almost right with his previously published rendering of the SEAT Exeo, thanks to these recently registered designs with the European trademark office.

SEAT has admitted that the new Exeo will be largely based on the previous generation B7 Audi A4 with only changes to the front and rear.

The only differences between the real design and Theo’s rendering are the shape of the headlamps and the bumper grilles which are slightly different in shape. Theo’s is sleeker and curvier while the filed designs show a more upright and angled design.

Look after the jump for more designs or click the image on the left for a larger version.

Click here to read the rest of SEAT Exeo images exposed at trademark office

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SEAT has announced that its new family car based on the previous generation Audi A4 will be called the SEAT Exeo. The name Exeo comes from exire, a Latin word that means “to go beyond”, which kind of makes sense since this is not a segment that the SEAT brand is commonly known in.

The new SEAT Exeo will come in both sedan and stationwagon form. It will go head to head against other European cars like the Ford Mondeo, the Renault Laguna and the Peugeot 407. It will be built in SEAT’s factory near Barcelona and will carry over much from the Audi A4 it is based on including its proportions, greenhouse, chassis, suspension, doors and glass.

Shown above is a previously published artist’s impression by Theophilus Chin on what the new SEAT sedan might look like.

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The SEAT Tango Concept was a 2001 Frankfurt concept car that featured an open top, two seats, and a 1.8 liter turbocharged engine. The seats in the SEAT were fixed, adjustment for different driver sizes was done via a steering column and an adjustable foot pedal box, which can move to suit the length of the driver’s legs.

Theophilus Chin borrows the Tango name for his latest creation depicting a SEAT badge-engineered version of the Volkswagen Scirocco coupe. It looks like a larger, 3-door version of the 4th generation SEAT Ibiza actually, which was in turn based on the 3-door SEAT Bocanegra Concept.

One more rear three quarter angle shot after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Artist’s Impression: SEAT Tango, Spanish Scirocco?

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SEAT’s new family car will be launched at the 2008, and it will be based on the outgoing B7 Audi A4, which has just recently been replaced by the new MLP platform based B8 Audi A4. This will mean a longitudinally-mounted engine hanging over the front axle, driving the front wheels or all four wheels. After its unveiling in October, production will start in December, and sales will begin in March 2009.

The new SEAT sedan will only receive minor badge engineering modifications on the front and rear, with the majority of its looks like its proportions, greenhouse, chassis, suspension, doors and glass will be recognisable from the Audi it is based on.

Knowing that many will criticize the new car’s lack of originality, SEAT’s design chief Luc Donckerwolke defends this decision by saying that this is a segment that SEAT is not very established in, and offering by a model that is familiar to consumers, it will leave no room for doubt in terms of quality and reliability.

Based on the sketches released by SEAT (available after the jump), Theophilus Chin wrote in with these artist impressions of how the new SEAT Bolero could look like. A rear shot is also available after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Upcoming SEAT Bolero Artist’s Impression

The new SEAT Ibiza was first introduced as the SEAT Bocanegra Concept car, which was a nice evil-looking 3-door car. The production Ibiza that was launched later was a 5-door. It didn’t look too bad, but it was obvious the 3-door looked alot better.

The good news is SEAT has just announced it will be producing a 3-door variant of the Ibiza as well, and a twin-charged 1.4 TFSI Cupra hot hatch version will feature more design cues from the Bocanegra Concept like the bumper, grille and headlamps.

Related Posts:
SEAT Bocanegra Concept
SEAT unveiled 4th generation SEAT Ibiza

The SEAT Bocanegra Concept car was a 3-door hatchback unveiled at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. It previewed the recently unveiled fourth generation SEAT Ibiza production car, but unliked the 5-door Ibiza hatch, the Bocanegra Concept was a 3-door and SEAT called it a “SportCoupe”.

The word Bocanegra means “black mouth” in Spanish, and probably refers to the blackened front face of the SEAT Bocanegra Concept. This blackened area is actually a semi-transparent Perspex acrylic sheet which extends up to the two headlamps, also acting as covers for the car’s LED headlamps.

The sleek side profile is enhanced by large 19″ alloy wheels wrapped with low-profile 235/35R19 tyres. Matching the car’s sporty looks is a 1.4 liter TSI engine mated to a 7-speed DSG under its hood.

View more photos of the concept after the jump.

Related Posts:
SEAT unveiled 4th generation SEAT Ibiza

Click here to read the rest of SEAT Bocanegra Concept

The new fourth generation SEAT Ibiza was previewed as the SEAT Bocanegra Concept at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, a sleek concept car done up in red and black. It’s not been very long after Geneva, but we can now have a look at the production 4th gen Ibiza, which looks much more toned down.

The new Ibiza is longer at 4050mm compared to the 3rd gen’s 3970mm length. It also has a longer wheelbase and wider track, so it also effectively previews the chassis of the next generation Polo. Under its hood are a family of small modern Volkswagen engines including a 1.2 liter 3 cylinder petrol. SEAT’s press release quotes a 102 PS normally aspirated 1.6 liter as being one of the options, probably as a cost-cutting feature instead of using the more advanced 122 PS 1.4 liter single turbo TSI.

I’m sure alot of people will hope to see the more aggressive styling of the SEAT Bocanegra Concept return with the tuned up FR and Cupra versions of the Ibiza.

We will have to wait until the 2008 Madrid Motor Show for the full details and specifications of the new 4th gen SEAT Ibiza, but for the moment enjoy more photos and a video after the jump.

Related Posts:
SEAT Bocanegra Concept

Click here to read the rest of SEAT unveils 4th generation SEAT Ibiza

The fourth generation Seat Ibiza - Seat’s top selling model - will be shown at the 2008 Geneva Auto Show in March 2008. It will replace the current third gen model (pictured above) based on the Volkswagen Polo 9N platform.

The Ibiza is Seat’s backbone, and represents 40% of Seat’s worldwide sales. Thus this new replacement’s success is essential as owners Volkswagen already has some doubt about the future of Seat and its positioning within the group brands.

The new Seat Ibiza will come in both 3 and 5-door hatchback form, with the 5-door making its debut first and the 3-door only to be revealed by the end of 2008.

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