SEAT auto news

Official: Seat announces five-door Mii city car

We knew at its unveiling in Frankfurt that the debut of the production version of the Volkswagen Up! was only the beginning, what with all the concept versions Volkswagen showcased over the years. But that was only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. VW isn't the only brand in the group that will offer the little city car, and its sister marques are eager to follow suit.

So after Volkswagen debuted the Up!, Skoda unveiled the Citigo and Seat showcased the Mii - all versions of the same vehicle, but with slightly modified sheetmetal and different nameplates. But those were only the three-door versions. Now that Volkswagen has confirmed the five-door Up! and Skoda the five-door Citigo, Seat is taking its turn with the five-door Mii.

The similarities between the Mii, Citigo and Up are, of course, greater than the differences. But at the end of the day, the variety gives European buyers a greater range of choices when buying their new city car, even if similar exercises on this side of the Atlantic - Plymouth, Mercury, Pontiac, Oldsmobile...we're looking at you - have long since disappeared.

Continue reading Seat announces five-door Mii city car

Report: VW CEO Winterkorn happy with rebounding Seat, Skoda

Martin Winterkorn is a happy man: Volkswagen is putting up big numbers in North America, its latest field of dreams, Audi, is breaking records every month, there are exciting cars in the pipeline - from Bugatti down to the XL1, Porsche's digestion continues, and now Skoda and especially Seat are turning in no-questions performance.

It seems Skoda has been on the ups for years, making the most of keen pricing and modern redesigns of the chassis and tech it gets handed down from big brothers VW and Audi. Winterkorn predicts the Czech brand will just about double its 2010 sales by 2018, going from 762,000 to 1.5 million.

Seat, on the other hand, wasn't just on the hotseat a year-and-a-half ago, phrases like "uncertain future" - code for "possible demise" - were rumbling in the background. A new CEO was brought in, new money and new models were thrown against the wall, and the efforts have stuck. The Spanish brand has hit three strong chords with Winterkorn, with increased sales, strong performance in China and anticipated models due. If this keeps up there won't be much left for him to do but, a la Alexander the Great, break down and cry with no worlds left to conquer.

Official: Volkswagen Group names Paefgen head of classics program

You may remember the name Franz-Josef Paefgen. Until recently, the German engineer and executive was head of both Bentley and Bugatti. Before that he was chief executive of Audi, after working for several years at Ford. He technically "retired" earlier this year, but like the cars he helped create, an executive like Paefgen could never really retire. So it should come as little surprise that the Volkswagen Group has named Dr. Paefgen head of its Classic program.

In his new capacity, Paefgen will oversee the historic automobile activities of the entire VW Group, including those of Volkswagen, Seat, Skoda, Audi, Lamborghini, and of course Bentley and Bugatti. It strikes us as a suitable semi-retirement for the man responsible in no small part for the Bugatti Veyron and Bentley Mulsanne, to name just two, and who was decorated in 2006 by the ACO as the "Spirit of Le Mans" for his contribution to endurance racing. Read the official announcement after the break.

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Official: Seat is all grown Up! with a Mii of its own [w/video]

After a seemingly endless stream of Up! concept cars rolled out by Volkswagen over the past few years, the production version is finally upon us. But don't think for even a second that this is the end. No, it's just the beginning, with numerous Up-based models to follow, and not all of them will carry a VW badge.

Skoda was the first VW division to get its own version called the Citigo, and now Seat is following suit with a rebadged version of its own dubbed Mii. Launching in Spain next month before rolling out across Europe in the spring, the Mii will be available initially as a three-door before the five-door variant follows next year.

Overseas buyers will be able to choose between three trim levels, two equipment packages (Chic with chrome trim and Sport with firmer suspension and tinted windows) , two engine specs (1.0-liter threes with 59 or 74 horsepower), two transmissions (manual or robotized) and an optional Economotive pack with stop-start engine management and regenerative braking.

The last time Seat sold a car in this segment, it was the Arosa, a model discontinued in 2005. But while Seat models typically look more dynamic than their Volkswagen and Skoda counterparts (think Ibiza vs. Polo and Fabia), this time - from a styling perspective, anyway - we think we'd stick with the VW. But don't take our word for it: check out the high-resolution images in the gallery, and the video footage and press release after the jump and share your thoughts in Comments.

Continue reading Seat is all grown Up! with a Mii of its own [w/video]

Report: Is Seat getting its own version of the VW Up?

Could this be Seat's version of the Volkswagen Up!? Skoda recently showed off its take on the Up! runabout, the Citigo, and it's plausible that VW wants to make the biggest statement possible with the little car. The diminutive hatchback could also be employed to help reverse Seat's fortunes - remember, in May of 2010, the Spanish brand was put on notice about its financial performance. An innovative and inexpensive city car could help round out the planned portfolio expansion.

At the Frankfurt Motor Show, our sister UK site reported that Seat was working on a sporty version of the Up! that would be "good to drive." However, there wasn't any additional information at the source site, so we aren't sure how much of the image above is an actual photo and how much is rendering. We expect it would still come, as the rest, with either the 59- or 74-horsepower, 1.0-liter three-clinder engines.

Frankfurt: 2012 Seat Exeo is Audi with the old, in with the new-ish

We know what you're thinking: This car looks an awful lot like an Audi A4. But it isn't. And it is.

Regular readers may be aware that Audi's Spanish sister-company Seat inherited the previous-generation A4 some time after it was replaced. They put some new badges on it and presto! A new flagship model for Seat.

Called the Exeo, it has now undergone a minor facelift that did nothing if not make it look even more like an Audi, if that were possible, and we got up close and personal with the new model here in Frankfurt. Check it out in our high-res gallery of live images from the show floor.

Frankfurt: Seat IBL Concept is a glimpse into the automaker's future [w/video]

Spanish automaker Seat has chosen the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show as the venue where its future styling direction will be shared with the world. The vehicle upon which these styling cues have been implemented is called the Seat IBL Concept, and it's a modern minimalist language that incorporates lines familiar to the automaker in a forward-looking (if conservative) way.

The IBL is the latest in a line of Seat concepts car shown to the world, starting with the IBE concept shown at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. The automaker feels that the IBL represents a blend of sedan and coupe appeal through the combination of its spacious interior and sporty exterior appearance. We feel that the anything with four doors is a sedan, plain and simple. Still, that doesn't mean a sedan can't have strongly styled lines that work to evoke the mental notes of a coupe.

Despite our issues with automaker jargon, we think the IBL provides a touch of subtle muscle with its pushed out wheel arches and strong shoulder line. The lower fascia is aggressively angled to mimic the powerful tone, and the fascia lines are nicely complemented by the angular LED headlamps and daytime running lights.

Seat has paid serious attention to the interior details of the IBL, too. A one-piece glass cover sits over the instrument panel, and the digital driver's display is programmable, and it can be switched to show an analog or digital readout. Two touch pads on the steering wheel allow the driver to control the features of the infotainment system, while the central display offers up navigation views sourced from Google Earth and real-time traffic information. Check out the gallery, then watch a video of the concept's live unveiling in Frankfurt after the jump.

Continue reading Seat IBL Concept is a glimpse into the automaker's future [w/video]

Official: Seat drops the details on IBL sedan concept

Seat has showed off (highly stylized) photos of its IBC sedan concept, billing it as "the future of the sports saloon" and the "latest evolution of stylish Seat design DNA." We actually think it a bit toned down... and a bit of a mish-mash, frankly (Kia Optima, anyone?), compared to Seat's usual concepts.

But where the IBL makes its concept statement is inside, with next-step infotainment and draught-free air conditioning. You'll find the full story on the IBC inside and out in the press release after the jump, and there'll be live shots coming soon from the Frankfurt Motor Show floor.

Continue reading Seat drops the details on IBL sedan concept

Report: Libyan rebels claim Gaddafi's all-electric Fiat 500 as prize

Libyan leader (ex-leader?) Muammar Qaddafi apparently had some unusual items in his personal collection. Rebel forces stormed his compound this week, and we now know he had a scrapbook dedicated to former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, lots of weapons and, oddly, a doorless, all-electric Fiat 500 (similar to the model shown above).

According to Corriere Della Sera (Google translated version), Qaddafi had "many" electric cars, and the Fiat 500 was converted to battery power in 2009 by Castagna of Milan, Italy. Aside from the powertrain swap - giving the 500 a 34 kW electric motor with two "mammoth" batteries that offer a range of 260 km (160 miles) - the "mysterious client" who ordered the car demanded:

"Interior cream with green trim, sandy-colored soft top, green and gold bodywork. ... on the left upright, a back-lit image of the Lion of the Desert, on the A-pillar on the right, a circle with the symbolic representation of the Libyan society. On the nose, instead of the Fiat brand, a logo with the black silhouette of Africa, with Libya highlighted in green [Note: this translation has been slightly edited].

Report: Libyan rebels claim Ghaddafi's all-electric Fiat 500 as prize

Libyan leader (ex-leader?) Muammar Qaddafi apparently had some unusual items in his personal collection. Rebel forces stormed his compound this week, and we now know he had a scrapbook dedicated to former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, lots of weapons and, oddly, a doorless, all-electric Fiat 500 (similar to the model shown above).

According to Corriere Della Sera (Google translated version), Qaddafi had "many" electric cars, and the Fiat 500 was converted to battery power in 2009 by Castagna of Milan, Italy. Aside from the powertrain swap - giving the 500 a 34 kW electric motor with two "mammoth" batteries that offer a range of 260 km (160 miles) - the "mysterious client" who ordered the car demanded:

"Interior cream with green trim, sandy-colored soft top, green and gold bodywork. ... on the left upright, a back-lit image of the Lion of the Desert, on the A-pillar on the right, a circle with the symbolic representation of the Libyan society. On the nose, instead of the Fiat brand, a logo with the black silhouette of Africa, with Libya highlighted in green [Note: this translation has been slightly edited].