The first electric Seat already comes on the road with 500 km of autonomy

There are already several Volkswagen Group brands that have started their journey in electric vehicles and Seat does not want to be less. The Spanish brand will present its own 100% electric car in the coming weeks. That according to its leaders, will have a dignified autonomy of the same Tesla Model 3.

The official presentation is scheduled to end of February and probably we can see it also at the Geneva Motor Show which is celebrated in March. This electric, still unnamed, will be twinned with Volkswagen's compact ID and will also use the platform for MEB electric vehicles. An architecture on which will be built all the electrical that the group will launch during the next years.

A first level autonomy

According to the brand managers:" Seat is taking a step go ahead to improve electric mobility, and our first electric vehicle will have a range of 500 km. " Same figure cited by Skoda and Volkswagen for their next electric.

If all goes well, the Seat electric car will reach the dealers in 2020 , becoming the first pure electric production of the brand. The electric version of the Mii, which was expected as the twin of the Skoda e-Citigo and the Volkswagen e-Up, has lost priority on the company's agenda. Seat's R & D chief, Matthias Rabe, said that the small urban is now "less clear".

With 'crossover' style

Few details are known of the Seat electric, but according to the description given by the brand will be something higher than the Volkswagen ID , but lower than the electric SUV of Skoda. Some features that probably place it in the crossover segment.

SEAT's first production electric will come in the middle of the recent range remodeling experienced by several brands of the Volkswagen Group. For example, the recent introduction of the large Tarraco SUV, the future appearance of the Skoda Kamiq and the refurbishment of the Volkswagen Tiguan. In addition, the Seat Toledo will end up disappearing from the dealers.

Shortly after the fourth generation of the Lion will arrive, which according to the design chief, Alejandro Mesonero, will take the Same design language as the Seat electric . In reference to this evolution in the aspect of their models, the manager stated that: "sometimes it is necessary to take a big step to avoid becoming obsolete".

And to tip a plug-in hybrid ...

The new Seat León will also debut the first plug-in hybrid engine of the brand, according to Rabe himself. No details of the powertrain have been released, but it is expected to share an updated version of the one used in the Volkswagen Golf GTE.

The next Leon will also include what Rabe described as a "technology and a user interface". fantastic. "In addition, will also continue to offer internal combustion engines powered by CNG with ECO environmental sticker.

The electric of Seat to date

Seat's commitment to electric cars was made clear by the development of the electric sports car Cupra e-Racer, which was presented at the Geneva Motor Show last year. That sports car, already under the Cupra sub-brand, was mounted on the platform of a conventional Seat Leon . Although little was left of its mechanics after the engine and transmission were removed, to put the battery and the two electric motors.

The prototype IBe ( concept of the images in this article) was also a sample of the intention of Seat to bring a 100% electric car to the street. That model presented in 2010 was ahead of the design of the third-generation Seat León, but with the appearance of an electric car, due to the lack of a grille and exhaust pipes. The same happened with the 2011 Seat IBX Concept. An SUV car that sported the same design elements as its compact brother and that would mark the path of the Seat Ateca.

Shortly after that same year the brand presented another electric prototype. Although this time more focused on its practical application than on the design. The Seat Altea XL Electric Ecomotive Concept was a minivan exactly like the version with combustion engine, but with an electric motor inside. The only thing that allowed to differentiate it from the other versions was the white plate instead of the calender and the vinyl letters that ran through its doors and its hood.