Seat has revealed the 2011 Alhambra MPV that is based on the Volkswagen Sharan. The MPV measures 4.85 meters long is 22 centimeters longer than the model it replaces and is also wider by 9 centimeters. The Alhambra is able to seat seven and features 885 liters of trunk space, if the third row is folded away. This space can be increased to 2,297 liters when all the seats, except for the front two are folded.

The Alhambra which goes on sale this summer comes with both diesel and petrol engines. The petrol or TSI engines feature 150hp and 200hp power outputs while the other two diesel TDI units can output 140hp and 170hp. According to the press release all four engines are fitted with engine start/stop and brake energy regeneration.

Having enough safety features is important for an MPV and Seat understands this. The Alhambra comes standard with seven airbags, including a driver-side knee airbag and electric child locks on the rear doors. There is also ABS and ESP, including electronic braking assistant, trailer stabilisation and tyre pressure monitoring display.

More images can be found after the jump.

Seat which is under the Volkswagen Group has announced that the Leon Ecomotive can deliver 10,000 miles with a single fuel tank. When I first read the title on the press release, I thought that the Ecomotive features some high-tech gadgetry but the reason behind the big number is simple: a larger fuel tank!

The Ecomotive which is a prototype at the moment has a 545-liter fuel tank which is equivalent to 120 gallons. The drive system is already capable of returning 83.1 miles to the gallon hence with a tank that is capable of holding 120 gallons, the 10,000 figure above can be achieved.

But the 83.1 miles to the gallon number is impressive at the same time and a 1.6 liter TDI engine with a new start-stop technology is responsible for this. To enable the Seat to carry a large fuel tank, engineers had to remove the rear seats. However there is a luggage space on top of the new tank, but this should be rather small.

The prototype also has a revised suspension to accommodate the heavier fuel load while the brakes have been uprated as well. So how do you refuel? Well at least ‘you’ don’t have to. The Seat Leon comes with a 12-month/10,000-mile service interval and you can refuel with diesel when you send your car in for servicing. The tank is not fitted with a conventional fuel filler system and requires a Seat dealer to do the job.

With this, you don’t have to deal with the hassle of refueling a car at a station, such as waiting in line and using the same nozzle that is used by thousands. More importantly, you safe time. It could probably take about 5-10 minutes to make a refuel and if you do that every week, thats about 30 minutes of your time.

UPDATE: This is apparently an April Fool’s joke by Seat UK. It is said that the car does not exist.

Seat has released a set of photos that depicts the Ibiza ST estate. The ST will be launched at the Geneva Motor Show and will be offered with six different options. The ST is 4.23 meters long, which is more than 18 centimeters longer than the standard Ibiza. With that, boot space is rated at 430 liters and this number can be increased once the rear seats are folded down.

The above mentioned six-engine option is made up by three petrol units and three diesel engines and four of them have direct injection and are force inducted. These engines range between 70hp and 105hp. There will be three trim levels including Reference, Style and Sport. Buyers will also be able to choose a dual clutch transmission. More images can be found after the jump.

What you see above is Seat’s IBZ Concept, which from the looks of it, is almost production-ready. Seat did not reveal what is under the hood, but words are being exchanged that the Spanish auto maker may drop in a 180HP 1.4-liter TFSI engine when the production version goes on sale sometime in 2010.

Highlights of the exterior includes LED head and taillights, LED indicator lights, panoramic sunroof as well as five double-spoke 19 inch alloy wheels. Inside, it has lightguide strips that run through the dashboard and the doors, instrument binnacle hood, door panels, pillars and ceiling that are finished in suede and a centre that houses a screen displaying radio and iPhone functions, and a purpose-built iPhone slot as well as a stylish climate control system.

Furthermore, the Seat IBZ Concept has a boot space that is figured at 410 liters, which can be significantly increased once the rear seats are folded down.

Volkswagen-owned Spanish auto maker SEAT has announced that it will present the Leon Cupra R at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show. Under the hood of the Cupra R lies a 265HP direct-injected 2.0 TSI engine, that is able to accelerate the R to 100 km/h in 6.2 seconds, up to a top speed of 250 km/h. Fuel consumption on the other hand is rated at 8.1 liters per 100 kilometers.

Visually, the Cupra R features the ‘R’ lettering on the grille and at the lower right of the hatch, the right instrument dial and the remote control key. It is also treated to 19-inch five double-spoke wheels shod with 235/35 tires, 17 inch 345 x 30 mm front disc brakes with 16 inch 286 x 12 mm at the rear, competition styled bucket seats in grey alcantara upholstery, white LED lighting on the instrument dial, a leather multi-functional steering wheel and an aluminium pedal arrangement.

Other features, among others, include ABS, traction control, ESP, electronic brake assist, electronic self-blocking XDS, front airbags, 2 side airbags, 2 head airbags, passenger airbag disconnection, rear window seat Isofix anchoring points, low tyre pressure warning, automatic lights on, rain sensing wipers, rear parking sensor, cruise control, tri computer, cornering foglights, dual zone climate control as well as an audio system equipped with MP3 playback and 8 speakers. Continue reading to view a high-res image gallery.

Spanish-based and Volkswagen-owned auto maker Seat, has released official pricing for its Ibiza FR, Ibiza Cupra and Ibiza Baconegra hatch backs. The new Ibiza FR is powered by a 1.4 TSI twin-charged powerplant that develops 150HP and is mated to a 7 speed DSG twin-clutch transmission. Pricing starts from £14,995 for the FR which is able to hit 100 km/h in 7.7 seconds, and feature a top speed of 209 km/h.

The Ibiza Cupra also features a 1.4 liter TSI motivator, but outputs 180HP. Mated to a 7 speed DSG twin-clutch transmission, the Cupra can sprint from naught to 100 km/h in 7.2 seconds, all the way up to 225 km/h. The Cupra starts from £15,995. The Ibiza Baconegra shares the same engine and transmission, along with performance figures with the Cupra, and is offered with a base price of £16,695.

As the Formula 1 circus moves to this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, Seat has seized the moment temporarily by unveiling the Seat Ibiza Bocanegra at the Auto Salon Barcelona. This aggressive looking hot-hatch is powered by 1.4 liter TSI with twin-turbos and can be made available in both 150HP and 180HP forms. The cracking motivator is mated to a 7 speed DSG twin clutch transmission with steering-mounted paddle shifters. It also comes with an XDS electronic limited slip differential that is carried over from the latest Volkswagen Golf GTI.

On the outside, the Ibiza Bocanegra (black mouth) is treated to a black centre fascia that is made up by the centre bumper, headlights and a honeycomb mesh grille. The side profile is finished with three character lines and 17 inch Sira alloy wheels. The “black” treatment can also be seen on the car’s sunroof and rear windows as well as on the black side-mirror casings. The rear is highlighted with a spoiler and a lower bumper with a diffuser insert. The bumper is also flanked out with mesh grids.

Inside, among others, there are quilt-patterned fabric sport seats with red stitching and a squared-off three spoke steering wheel. Seat also revealed that there will be a right hand drive version for the UK market. Continue reading to view an image gallery.

Spaninsh-based Seat has decided to make an early reveal of its new Ibiza FR and its refreshed, performance oriented Leon Cupra ahead of the Barcelona International Motor Show which runs from May 9th till May 17th. The new Ibiza FR is powered by a 1.4 TSI twin-charged powerplant that develops 150HP and is mated to a 7 speed DSG twin-clutch transmission.

Other features include, a new front bumper with a honeycomb design, chrome surrounds on the grille, side mirrors finished in silver, 17-inch wheels as well as double exhaust tail pipes on both sides. The Ibiza also offers improved handling with the XDS system that works hand in hand with the ESP to brake a wheel that is losing grip and to subsequently restore traction. Buyers will also go home with a CD/radio/MP3 player, ABS, a tire pressure monitoring system as well as a trip computer.

The Leon Cupra facelift now gets a 240HP 2.0 liter TSI engine that enables the Cupra to hit 100 km/h in 6.4 seconds, and deliver a top speed of 247km/h, while returning 100 kilometers with 8.3 liters of fuel. On the outside, it gets black finished door mirrors, cornering foglights, front bumper with black honeycomb cooling vents, black moulding at the bottom of the rear bumper with a polished steel tailpipe. The Cupra also sits closer to the ground with 18-inch wheels.

Over on the inside, you will get racing bucket seats, CD/radio/MP3 player, a trip computer as well as other features like XDS system, ESP, ABS, EBA , sports suspension, cruise control and more. Continue reading to view more images of the Seat Ibiza FR and the Seat Leon Cupra.

Seat Ibiza FR

Seat Leon Cupra

As a Seat fan, it will be exciting to see what the design will look like as I have always thought that the Ibiza range was very unimaginative and lacked the vibrancy of its Leon counterpart. This will all change as Luc Donckerwolke, Seats’s design chief, whose previous employers include Lamborghini, will be heading the project.

Donckerwolke introduced the new trade mark ‘Arrow’ design that is seen in new Ibiza and Exeo models and is said to give a much needed sporting kick into the range.

Apart from the sketches not much is known for now, but keep your ears close to the ground for more details.

Volkswagen owned Spanish auto brand; Seat has announced that it will launch facelift versions of its Seat Leon and Seat Altea models at the Geneva Motor Show with new power plants. According to Seat, both models are treated to the Arrow Design concept, and carry improved design features which are evident with new grilles with smaller Seat logos, larger head lights and redesigned door mirrors at the front area, while the rear has received larger windows and modified hatch design and light clusters. On the inside, instrument panels, central consoles as well as door panel trim and materials are modified to offer a modern and ergonomic interior.

Seat has also fitted the XDS system on the Seat Leon which works with the ESP system as a self-blocking differential that will improve traction when a driver losses it during hard braking. Seat also revealed that both models now come with a choice of ten power plant options (five petrol and five diesel engines) including a 211HP 2.0 TSI petrol engine and a 170HP 2.0 TDI diesel option. Most importantly, all these engines are mated to VW’s DSG dual clutch transmissions with steering wheel mounted shift paddles.

Altea and Altea XL are offered with the Reference, Style and Sport equipment options while the Leon variant features a new FR option, apart from the above mentioned three. Other features include; Hill Hold Control, Bi-Xenon head lights with AFS and daytime driving lights, a new climatiser and new audio equipment, cornering fog lights, front and rear parking sensors and an optical parking system displayed on the new navigation system. All models also feature ABS, Traction Control, ESP as well as EBA emergency braking.

Continue reading to view more images.

2009 Seat Leon

2009 Seat Altea