When the Audi Q3 compact CUV hits the streets in 2011, its assembly will be handled by the workers at VW's Spanish division, SEAT. In preparation for the crossover's arrival SEAT is building an all-new body shop at its Martorell factory. Like other modern body shops, the 322,000 square-foot facility will be heavily automated with over 300 robots handling most of the welding and stamp manipulation.

A ceremony was held at the site this week to lay the cornerstone for the new building, and as is typical for these types of events, all the usual politicians and dignitaries turned out for their photo op. The €300 million euro factory is the largest investment made by SEAT in 15 years, and signals that the Volkswagen group tends to keep it around for a while. An estimated 1,500 people will be employed building the Q3 when it launches in two years.

Buyers overseas aren't left wanting for sport models from Volkswagen's Spanish subsidiary, including the sporty FR line and the powerful Cupra range. But if the latest reports from our Iberian counterparts prove accurate, Seat could be preparing to launch an even more powerful version of its Golf-based Leon at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show.

Packing the same 265hp engine from the Volkswagen Scirocco R, the rumored Seat Leon Cupra R would also feature a dual-clutch gearbox, AP Racing brakes, a specially-tuned suspension and competition-style bucket seats inside, and the possible inclusion of Seat's trick new XDS electronic differential. With the current range-topping, 240hp Leon Cupra sprinting to sixty in just 6.4 seconds and undercutting the Golf GTI by a good few hundred on the sticker, the 265hp Cupra R could prove to be a real barn-stormer.



[Source: Autoblog Spanish]

SEAT has morphed the Bocanegra Concept into a production-ready car and stayed largely true to the concept. The car isn't something completely new – it's more of an option package fitted to the Cupra. As such, the aesthetic differences don't serve any additional purpose – the flanking front grille vents are closed, for instance -- but that's not necessarily a crime when the car still looks pretty good.

Outside, in addition to that new grille and 17-inch Sira alloys (which have nothing on the concept's rims), a pair of fog lights graces the front bumper and AP brake calipers brace the front rotors. The engine is the Cupra's 1.4 TSI in 150-hp or 180-hp flavors. Inside the Blackmouth, the rhomboid-stitched seat centers remain from the Geneva show car's, with much milder (and probably more comfortable) bolsters. Gloss black trim, aluminum pedals, and lots of letter "B"s grace the cabin. The car will be offered in a red called "Dakota" and a white called "Candy" and be available later this year.




[Source: Autoblog Spanish]

Variety, so they say, is the spice of life. So while American fans of Volkswagen's hot hatches have nothing to complain about, none could be blamed for pining for the alternative options that the German auto group offers overseas. The company's Spanish subsidiary Seat doesn't sell stateside altogether, which is a bit of a shame, because Seats offer compelling packages with a bit more flavor than their VW counterparts, often with more power and at a lower cost, too. (Think Pontiac vs. Chevrolet with a bit more Mediterranean flavor and you're halfway there.) Case in point the revised Leon Cupra and new Ibiza FR which the company will be unveiling next month at its home-market Barcelona Motor Show (which, incidentally, was evidently not canceled).

Although the Leon Cupra is ostensibly the same model as the one it replaces, Seat has added a few extra touches. Fortunately, the engines – 2.0-liter turbo fours in either 208 horsepower TSI trim (VeeDub-speak for gasoline turbo) or 168 hp TDI (turbo diesel) guise – carry over, but both are now mated to Seat's new XDS electronic differential, and complimented by a series of adjustments to the exterior and interior styling. Outside, the front fascia is more aggressive, the rear bumper gets a faux-diffuser black insert, the side mirror housings are blacked out and the ride height has been dropped slightly. Inside everything's all black and brushed aluminum. We had a chance to drive the Leon Cupra last year and found it to be a slick ride, if suffering slightly from torque steer that the e-diff should help clear up.

Joining the revised Leon Cupra is the FR version of its little brother, the Ibiza. Slotting in below the new top-of-the-line Ibiza Cupra, the FR offers a compelling package with the VW Group's new 1.4-liter twincharger, packing both supercharger and turbocharger to deliver 148 hp, mated to a standard-equipment seven-speed DSG with paddle shifters. A host of electronic aids keeps everything in check, while the FR (Seat's second-tier sport trim) benefits from a variety of sporty touches which you can read about more in the press release after the jump.




[Source: Seat]

The Ibiza ST is going to be the third body style in the Ibiza line, a tiny wagon -- or "supermini estate" in UK parlance -- that will go on sale next year. SEAT has been in the segment before with its Cordoba Vario from 1998. Currently, the segment is dominated by capable-but-not-exactly-exciting models like the Renault Clio Sport Tourer, Nissan Note Accenta, and Peugeot 207 SW. SEAT wants the ST to earn looks for its compelling design, the leadership of which is being headed by Murcielago stylist Luc Donckerwolke. In addition to being the next refinement of SEAT's Arrow Design language, the car is expected to have new engines not currently seen in the Ibiza line.

[Source: SEAT]

A production version of the Seat Bocanegra has reportedly been cleared for landing. The black-mouthed concept was an Ibiza Cupra with futuristic lights, a super-black grille treatment front and rear, and a concept car interior, so you can probably expect the production version to keep the special front end and perhaps an interior touch like diamond stitching. Potentially sold as a style pack to go on the Ibiza Cupra options list, Autocar is reporting that Bocanegra will get the same 178 horsepower 1.4-liter engine and appear some time after July of this year.



[Source: Autocar]

Now that another Valentine's Day has passed, we can offer a little advice to those of you who might have avoided Cupid's arrows another year. If you're struggling to find that special someone, maybe you should stop searching on eHarmony and start looking in your garage. A new survey by British insurance specialist Diamond puts some numbers to what we've known all along, namely that people are more attracted to others who drive nice cars. The company polled 3,000 people and 36% admitted that they judge someone's attractiveness based on the car he or she drives. Even more to the point, one in ten admitted they would date someone with a nice car, even if they found the driver unattractive, and 20% said that the more expensive the car, the better looking the driver.

It should come as no surprise that men are more superficial than women from these results, with men twice as likely to date an "ugly" woman because of her car, and 50% admitting the car's price makes the driver more attractive. The makes of cars that bring the most positive reaction are, unsurprisingly, Aston Martin, Ferrari, and Lamborghini, although men chose a Ferrari-driving lady as tops. Unless you're extremely attractive, the report says its best to avoid being seen in a SEAT, Chevrolet, or Skoda, which were the lowest rated brands in the survey. And God forbid your ride is brown, as that hue was voted the least attractive colo(u)r. If you're stuck with a brown SEAT, at least consider painting it black, the sexiest color on the list. Maybe by next Valentine's Day, you'll be lucky enough to be James Bond in a black DBS, or Christie Brinkley in a red 308.

[Source: Easier.com]

For some time now, it has seemed like the badges on cars are getting bigger and bigger. SEAT has certainly played its part in this trend, but the automaker's S badge is getting downsized again on the latest Leon and Altea.

The badges are part of mild facelift packages being given to the two SEAT models, which also get revised grilles, lamps and a tailgate with full-width glass. Supposedly steered by SEAT's new "Arrow" design language, you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference visually, although its easier to see changes inside where there is an updated cabin.

Thankfully, SEAT has also squeezed in some new tech. Ten different engines – five gas and five diesel – are on offer, including some common-rail diesels, and all are available with parent Volkswagen's seven-speed DSG hooked up to paddles on the back of the steering wheel. There's also a new differential called XDS, which works with the traction and stability control systems, a development that should help the hot versions of the Leon counteract the enormous torque steer we encountered when driving the outgoing Leon Cupra last year.

The new Leon and the Altea, a minivan/wagon derivative of a hatchback (itself with long-wheelbase and Freetrack softroader versions), will debut alongside the old-is-new-again Exeo ST at SEAT's Geneva Motor Show booth next month. In the meantime, if you're just itching to know more, details are in the press release after the jump and photos in the gallery below.

[Source: SEAT]

What do you do with an old model when you've already replaced it with a newer one? Well, most automakers would simply trash it and move on. Not Volkswagen though. Instead of discarding the previous Audi A4, the bean-counters at VW Group corporate headquarters in Wolfsburg simply passed it on to another division: SEAT. In this case, the Spanish subsidiary that was lacking a flagship model.

Called the Exeo, the sedan variant already took its curtain call (we wouldn't quite call it a debut) at last year's Paris Salon, but since the A4 came in both four-door and Avant wagon forms, SEAT is now preparing to relaunch the Exeo wagon in Geneva. Called the Exeo Sport Tourer, it's pretty much exactly like the Exeo sedan, only with an extended roof. Engine options – including a 198 horsepower turbo four and common-rail turbodiesels in 141 and 168 hp flavors – will carry over. SEAT hasn't released photos just yet, but has given us a video, which we've placed after the jump – just in case you've forgotten what a badge-engineered, last-generation Audi A4 Avant looked like.

[Source: Autoblog Spanish]

Volkswagen has been toying with mid-engined concepts and compact roadsters for years now, but we're told that the BlueSport concept that the automaker revealed in Detroit is close to the finished product. But after years of gestation, Volkswagen isn't about to let the BlueSport go it alone. Not when the cost of developing a new mid-engined platform could be shared across its various brands.

An Audi derivative, like a little brother to the R8 and TT is in the cards. A Porsche version is reportedly not. But VW's Spanish subsidiary SEAT could get its own version. Supposedly Volkswagen's sportiest division, SEAT is lacking a halo car to embody what the brand is supposed to stand for. And considering all of its other products share their underpinnings with existing Volkswagens (or Audi, in the case of the Exeo), chances are good that the bigwigs in Stuttgart will give their Spanish subordinates the green light. Check out the BlueSport gallery below and then hit the link to see Paul Tan's SEAT renderings.


[Source: paultan.org]