Seat Ateca SUV revealed ahead of global premiere at 2016 Geneva Motor Show; the Spanish brand’s first-ever SUV will be based on the popular Leon model
The Ateca is the Seat’s response to the booming SUV market in Europe which accounted for quarter of all car sales last year. The first SUV from the Spanish manufacturer’s stable will face fierce rivals such as the segment-leading Nissan Qashqai, Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage. Both interior and exterior are in coincidence with the popular Leon hatchback and in a traditional Seat way the Ateca name has been derived from a Spanish village in the west of Saragossa.
The company has officially revealed images of the SUV following leaked pictures today. It will be offered in two-wheel and four-wheel drive configurations and shares certain characteristics with the new Volkswagen Tiguan as it’s based on the MQB platform.
The new Seat Ateca will make its global premiere at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show and on the first press day scheduled on 1st March before greeting public from 3rd to 13th. It could be perceived that Seat is slow to get going at the SUV market but reports suggest that it already has a couple of other SUV models in the pipeline.
Designed under the supervision of Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, a sportier FR version of the Ateca is confirmed to follow the standard model along with a performance-based Cupra that will be priced competitively.
Staying in-line with the company’s design language, the sporty crossover comes features with bolder front facet comprising of trapezoidal grille that sits in the middle of full-LED headlamps. It has sharper body lines, roof rails, faux skid plates, plastic cladding, rear-mounted spoiler to buy a sleeker appearance to lure in young customers.
Although Seat hasn’t revealed much of the interior, it will boast a three-spoke steering wheel with buttons for audio controls, eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system, traffic jam assist for easy assistance during jammed-up travel, a Connectivity Box housed at the centre console and wireless charging compatibility.
The safety technologies Seat Ateca could be equipped with are Emergency Assist system, Traffic Sign Recognition, Rear Traffic Alert and Blind Spot Detection. The whole host of engine options that will power the Seat Ateca include a 1.0-litre TSI petrol mill generating 113 hp and a 1.4-litre turbocharged TSI which is capable of developing 148 hp with cylinder deactivation technology for saving fuel.
As for the diesel motor, there will be a 1.6-litre TDI unit pumping out 113 hp and a 2.0-litre TDI that is tuned to produce two states of power: 148 hp and 187 hp. The engines will be hooked up with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard and a seven-speed dual-clutch DSG will be offered as option.
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