Autoblog

Click on the above image for high-res photos of the SEAT SportCoupé

Following the launch of the SEAT Ibiza five-door in April, the Spanish automaker has debuted the new Ibiza SportCoupé. When compared to the five-door, the new three-door appears nearly identical from the front. However, a glance at the profile reveals striking differences in the C-pillar. Where the rear side window on the five-door sweeps upward towards the integrated spoiler, the window sill on the new coupe follows the contour defined by the crease in the fender. The rear of the vehicle, with the large hatch, seems nearly unchanged.

Targeted towards a sportier clientele than its sibling, the SportCoupé sits 17mm (.67") lower than the five-door. When equipped with the 1.6-liter (105 PS) powerplant, the Ibiza will be offered with a seven-speed DSG double-clutch gearbox (courtesy of Volkswagen, SEAT's parent company). SEAT promises even high-performance Ibiza FR and Ibiza Cupra versions will debut over the coming months. We know Americans are supposed to hate hatchbacks, but more minds would change if vehicles like the SEAT SportCoupé were available here.

[Source: SEAT]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Audi metroproject quattro Concept.

Buyers of the next generation of Volkswagen-developed small cars will have one more option box to tick when placing their order: all-wheel-drive. The new platform, dubbed PQ25, will find its way underneath a handful of new models, spanning the range from the low-end (SEAT), mid-grade (VW) and luxury (Audi). All-wheel-drive won't be an option for the new SEAT Ibiza, but consumers of the next VW Polo (specifically the CrossPolo) might be able to outfit their tiny runabout with AWD, while the Audi A1, due out in late 2009, will continue the automaker's love affair with quattro.


[Source: Automotive News – sub. req'd]

Click image to enlarge

The SEAT Leon Supercopa series that visits tracks in seven European countries is, according to SEAT, "the most powerful single-brand competition in Europe." In celebration of the series, Seat is making a special edition SEAT Leon Copa Edition that arguably looks even hotter than the race car.

The 2007 race car had a turbocharged inline 4 with 301 horsepower. The special edition version for the street gets the 2.0-liter TFSI, putting out 285 hp and 265 lb-ft. That means you get sixteen fewer chevaux than the race car, but fourteen more pounds of churn. With Eibach springs, bigger brakes, a SEAT Sport bodykit and 18" wheels, the package is good for a 5.9-second run to 62-MPH. If you want one, you'll need to scrounge up €38,500, and you'll need to hurry: SEAT is only making 55 of them. Oh, and you'll need to live in Europe, too.

[Source: Zer Customs]

Click above for more high-res shots of the SEAT Leon Cupra

Draw up a list of the top hot-hatches in the world. The SEAT Leon Cupra may not be on it – although it might be – but the Volkswagen GTI will most definitely. At least it should, because the GTI is a performance icon, forged over decades of performance tempered with versatility and accessibility. And the current-generation GTI certainly lives up to the legend, burning rubber with the best Germany has to offer. But if this article is about the SEAT Leon Cupra, then why are we talking about the Volkswagen GTI? What do they have in common? Well, almost everything. Almost.

Click image for a high-res gallery of the new SEAT Ibiza

SEAT, the Spanish manufacturer owned by Volkswagen, teased Geneva Motor Show visitors this year with the 3-door Bocanegra concept car. Today it unveiled the production version, which, as expected, takes on the Ibiza nameplate. The attractive 5-door had a lot of work done at the plastic surgeon's office, as the old car's bland lines have been transformed completely. Flat is definitely out, and the pair of diagonal character lines first shown on Bocanegra now adorn the new compact. In front, the Ibiza wears a new face -- one that European shoppers should get used to, as it's likely to trickle through to other SEATs over time. The most obvious change is the wider, more traditional-looking grille, which helps to mainstream the SEAT's appearance compared to the quirky faces you'll find on some of its stablemates.

UPDATE: New high-res images added to gallery


[Source: SEAT]

If you own a 2008 Ford F-Series truck, your Fun Friday is made less so by the news of a recall for your truck that involves its seats. Apparently, the front driver's seat on these trucks fail to comply with federal rules for seat back strength, as a weld that connects a bracket and the seat back could crack. The report didn't mention whether cracks have occurred during normal use of the seats or when they're subjected to high loads such as in an accident, though it did say no accidents or injuries had been reported due to the weak welds.

Of the 100,000+ vehicles subject to recall, 87,000 of the trucks are in the United States, while the remaining 14,000 are in Canada, and all are either F-250 or F-550 Super Duty Models.

Ford won't be sending notifications out until later this month, so F-Series owners who just can't wait can call Ford at (800) 392-3673 for more information.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Click above for high-res gallery of the SEAT Bocanegra Concept

SEAT is set to unveil the Bocanegra Concept tomorrow during the first press day of the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, and it previews the upcoming replacement for the production Ibiza model. For those familiar with the rather homely looking Ibiza, the Bocanegra (which literally means "black mouth") should be a welcome portent of things to come. SEAT, a subsidiary of Volkswagen, was always supposed to be the Kia to Volkswagen's Hyundai, but has not done a great job of mixing performance and low prices together. Well, it got the latter down. The Bocanegra Concept, however, sports an aggressive, expressive design that, while not altogether original (we see Euro Focus and BMW 1-Series cues), is a major leap forward for the Spanish brand. Sources say the concept's sheetmetal is pretty darn close to what the production model will be when it debuts later this year at the Madrid Motor Show, and the hatch will also be offered in a five-door version. The concept interior, however, will likely be warmed over for production. Expect a full smattering of motors that you would also find in any small VW on sale in Europe.


[Source: Autoblog Spanish]

Click image for a hi-res gallery of the SEAT Leon Cupra K¹

Every so often, we wish that Volkswagen's SEAT brand was available here in the US. Sure, the Spanish automaker's vehicles are badge-engineering exercises that raid the corporate partsbin for powertrains, switchgear, and the like, but their styling is unique and some of the packages have definite appeal.

Take, for instance, the just-announced UK-market Leon Cupra K¹. With the stylish Leon Cupra as its base, the K¹ adds an appearance package that is, to put it plainly, pretty bitchin'. Intended to make the car look more like the Cupra BTCC racers, the kit includes new front and rear treatments, side skirts, and a sweet-looking center-exit exhaust. We think the K¹ kit is actually better-looking than the BTCC bodywork. Like its standard-bodied counterpart, the K¹ gets power from a 240 PS (236 HP) version of VW's 2.0 TFSI four-cylinder. That's good enough to give the Cupra a top speed of 153 mph. Hot hatch, indeed.

Press release with UK pricing after the jump.


[Source: SEAT]

SEAT has some ambitious plans. The Spanish subsidiary of Volkswagen is targeting a twofold increase in sales from 400,000 to 800,000 units by 2018, but currently has a line-up of seven models that, for the most part, are little more than rebodied VWs with a poorer reputation. While speaking with the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, SEAT CEO Erich Schmitt outlined an aggressive expansion plan that involves cutting down its workforce, reducing manufacturing times, drastically broadening its model range and improving the brand's image.

Having recently laid-off 900 workers, Schmitt says his company needs to trim another 700. Production time for the next-generation Ibiza hatchback will be cut down to 18 hours, compared to the 27 it takes to assemble the current version. But here's the kicker: Schmitt says that its model line-up will more than double from the current seven to fifteen by 2012 and shoot up to forty by 2018. Yes, you read that right: 40 models. We don't know how Schmitt is counting (trim levels?), but 40 models is closer to the total range of the whole Volkswagen Group than it is to SEAT's own product range.

[Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung via Carscoop]

Volkswagen's plan for the next ten years includes streamlining production, cutting development costs and creating four new platforms so it can boost sales to 10 million units a year and give Toyota a run for its money. Architecture development is key to that strategy.