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

Noah Joseph — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:29:00 EST

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Sedan, Europe, SEAT, Luxury

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.

2012 Seat Exeo is Audi with the old, in with the new-ish originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Refreshed Seat Exeo looks even more like an Audi than before

Noah Joseph — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Europe, SEAT, Luxury

What happens to German cars when they've outlived their lifecycles? Some die off like any other model line, but others get turned into more budget-oriented vehicles with new badges.

Take the old Mercedes-Benz E-Class, for example, whose platform was recycled into the Chrysler 300 and then, in turn, into the Dodge Challenger. Same with the old SLK that was turned into the Chrysler Crossfire. Volkswagen often continues producing its old vehicles after they've been replaced, offering them in markets like South America and Canada. But when the Audi A4 was replaced, it was transformed into a new flagship model for Seat.

The Exeo has only been on the market for three years, but the B7-generation A4 on which it's based (and by "based," we mean a few fresh body panels and some new badges) dates back to 2004. That's seven years ago, and that makes the Exeo a dated product. So Seat's toiled to keep it fresh by launching this facelifted model. But though you might think they'd have made it look less obviously like an Audi, to our eyes it looks like they've done precisely the opposite.

Improvements center around a revised front end with bi-xenon headlights and available LED daytime running lights, a touched-up interior and updated powertrain. That last bit includes upgrades to the 2.0-liter common-rail TDI, now mated to a new CVT with stepped changes.

The revised Exeo sedan and wagon will be unveiled in full at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show, but while it won't be coming to the States, you can read about it now in the press release after the jump and check it out in the high-res image gallery.

Continue reading Refreshed Seat Exeo looks even more like an Audi than before

Refreshed Seat Exeo looks even more like an Audi than before originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Seat Exeo Sport Tourer to debut in Geneva

Noah Joseph — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:19:00 EST

Filed under: Wagon, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Videos, SEAT

Click above to watch the video after the jump

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]

Continue reading VIDEO: Seat Exeo Sport Tourer to debut in Geneva

VIDEO: Seat Exeo Sport Tourer to debut in Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SEAT prices the old Audi A4 new Exeo

Noah Joseph — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:59:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Europe, SEAT, UK

Click above to view a high-resolution SEAT Exeo image gallery

When SEAT announced it was to launch a new flagship that was little more than an old Audi A4 with some new trim, we were puzzled. Everyone was puzzled. Was this Volkswagen's big plan to revive its Spanish subsidiary? Indeed it was, as we quickly discovered when we got to Paris to find it sitting there right in front of us. And now, the re-schnozzed A4 has a pricetag.

The Exeo will be offered in four trim levels and with three different engine options, including 141- and 168-horsepower versions of the group's common-rail turbo-diesel, as well as a 198 hp turbo four gasoline engine, each mated to a six-speed manual transmission. So, just how much will it cost overseas buyers to buy an old Audi with a less prestigious nameplate? Pricing in the UK starts at £17,740 (around $25,600 USD). That's a couple grand shy of what an A4 costs in the British market (or the list price what a then-new A4 ran a couple of years ago).

Gallery: Paris 2008: SEAT Exeo

Gallery: SEAT Exeo

[Source: Auto Express]

SEAT prices the ~~old Audi A4~~ new Exeo originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paris 2008: Previous Gen Audi A4 Seat Exeo

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:27:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Paris Motor Show, SEAT

Click the image above for a high-res gallery of the Seat Exeo

Our Spanish colleagues tell us that the Iberians are none too happy about SEAT grabbing a previous generation A4 out of the garbage bin to make a new sedan. Never mind the opportunity to make an easy(-ier) profit - something that would have any automaker quaking with giddyness right now - the word "Exeo" right now translates as "It just ain't right!" Those of you who have seen the previous A4 won't be surprised by anything here, except perhaps the richness and quality of the suede interior. We can assure you it was impressive. The mirror housings are neat, too, but standard fare for SEAT. Based on the approval ratings of the old A4 by the time it retired, our guess is that new customers the Exeo is meant to attract won't be disappointed that they found their way to SEAT through these four doors. Check out the press release that makes the old new again after the jump, and our gallery of high-res photos below.

Gallery: Paris 2008: SEAT Exeo

Gallery: SEAT Exeo

Continue reading Paris 2008: ~~Previous Gen Audi A4~~ Seat Exeo

Paris 2008: ~~Previous Gen Audi A4~~ Seat Exeo originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Seat Exeo is an old Audi A4

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:27:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Wagon, Audi

Click the image above for more renderings of the Seat Exeo

VW subsidiary Seat is, like The Jeffersons, movin' on up, rolling out a new range of vehicles that will push it into new market segments. The image above is one of a set of the automaker's Exeo sedan given to the trademark office in Spain. According to the company, "the new name stems from the Latin word 'Exire', meaning "to go beyond", "to go further", and "The name Exeo is advanced, forceful and technological, which signals excellence and is highly suggestive of driving pleasure." Ok...

Instead of creating something completely new to chart these unknown waters, Seat has taken a previous gen Audi A4 and given it front and rear clips in the Seat style. Seat will also use the A4 Avant body to create an Exeo wagon. The newish sedan is meant to compete with the Ford Mondeo, Renault Laguna, and Alfa Romeo 159 and will be launched some time next year as a 2010 model. It is expected to retail for £15,000 to £23,000 in the U.K. and we don't yet know which powerplants it will receive.

Gallery: 2010 Seat Exeo renderings

[Source: Autocar]

New Seat Exeo is an old Audi A4 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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