Seat Releases Making-Of Video of Its 330PS Leon Cup Racer

Following the reveal of the Leon Cup Racer at the 2013 Wörthersee Tour, Seat has released a video showing how the customer sport racecar is built. The car will soon have the license to race, with the first customer sport teams expected to enter the car at various events starting with the 2014 motorsport season. Read more »

Seat Unveils Leon Verde Plug-In Hybrid Prototype

Seat has presented a plug-in hybrid prototype based on the latest Leon compact hatchback as part of the Cenit Verde public-private project, which is devoted to the study and development of the technologies designed to facilitate the introduction of the electric vehicle in Spain. Read more »

Watch New Seat Leon SC Commercial with Multiple Endings

The new SEAT Leon makes a lot of sense as a family hatchback these days, with its latest VW platform, nice design and a competent range of engines. However, the Spaniards are also now making a two-door SC model, which is shorter, lighter and slightly sharper to drive, while also looking a bit sportier, thanks to the more steeply-raked windscreen, and unique roof shape. Read more »

Seat Launches New Leon in Mexico, Its Sixth Biggest Market Worldwide

Seat has released the new Leon in Mexico, a market where the Spanish marque is hoping to consolidate its position among the 10 best-selling brands. Over the past two years, Seat has grown 60 percent in Mexico, largely due to the success of its Ibiza subcompact.

In the first four months of this year, Seat has delivered 7,360 vehicles, accounting for a growth of 8.5 percent and ranking as the ninth best-selling brand in the country.

Read more »

VW Recalls 91,000 Vehicles in Japan Citing DSG Problems…Again

The reliability record of the VW Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) is taking a hit with a great deal of reports coming in from around the world for not behaving like they should, and dealers refusing to come up with a viable fix.

Apparently, these self-shifters just don’t cope with "hot and wet climate, extreme stop-and-go traffic as well as pollution typical of some Asian cities", says a report from Reuters, citing a company spokesman.

Read more »

Carbuyer Reviews New SEAT Leon, Calls it a Cheaper and More Stylish Golf

I’ve always been a fan of all generation SEAT Leons, which are very impressive cars, with solid underpinnings, good interiors and different styling. The second-gen car ditched the angular lines altogether, and went for a totally different look, but now, with the third generation model that’s already here, they’ve changed styling philosophy yet again. Read more »

Seat Brings 330PS Leon Cup Racer, Ibiza SC Trophy to Wörthersee Tour 2013

VW Group-owned Seat will present the Leon Cup Racer at the 2013 Wörthersee Tour, a racing car upon which the next Seat WTCC racer will be based.

Fitted with a 330PS (326hp) engine, the five-door hatch has the looks to match its performance. The 400mm (15.7 in) wider tracks than that of the series-production model, the 18-inch racing wheels and metallic matte grey paint with orange accents contribute to the Leon Cup Racer’s aggressive stance.

Read more »

VW Starts to Feel the Crisis: Q1 Profit Down almost 50 Percent

Although deliveries and market share are on the rise for the first quarter of 2013, Volkswagen Group posted a profit before tax of €2.7 billion ($3.53 billion), down from €4.2 billion ($5.5 billion) in the same period last year. Profit after tax was €1.9 billion ($2.48 billion), also down from €3.1 billion ($4.05 billion). Read more »

VW Group’s Offensive This Year Includes 60 New and Updated Models

Volkswagen Group wants to offset decreasing demand in Europe by rolling out 60 new and updated models before the end of this year. At the shareholders’ meeting in Hanover, Germany, VW Group CEO Martin Winterkorn said the company’s target remains unchanged – to reach the top of the automotive industry.

Europe’s largest carmaker is targeting higher sales and revenue this year with its revamped VW Golf and Skoda Octavia, plus the new Audi A3 Sedan, which targets especially the Chinese and U.S. markets. VW is hoping these new models will help make up for a slowdown in Europe, where demand is nearing the lowest point in 20 years.

Read more »

Photo Tour of the Volkswagen Group Night on the Eve of Auto China 2013

Signifying the huge importance of the Chinese market in the Volkswagen Group's mega plan to conquer the automotive world, the Germans organized a special event on the eve of the Auto China 2013 in Shanghai. Read more »

Industry Analysts Suggest VW's MQB Platform is Overhyped

Volkswagen is touting its MQB platform as a massive cost-cutter, which will allow them to produce their cars at a lower price, and share as many mechanical bits as possible. They say the move to a single platform system will allow them to gain savings of 20 percent in a production cycle, but the claims are now disputed by industry analysts, who have studied the situation more attentively. Read more »

Why Standing in Front of a Car and Threatening a Driver is a Bad Idea

One would believe that with the wide availability of the internet and all those videos from dashboard-mounted cameras circulating around the web, people living in Russia and the surrounding countries would be a bit more careful when it comes to playing the macho-man in front of a car. Read more »

Seat Drops 60 Fresh Photos of the All-New Leon Sport Coupe

Following the Geneva debut of its three-door Leon SC model, Seat has released 60 new high-resolution photos and in-depth details of its compact model.

The Leon SC compensates for the 35-mm (1.38 in) shorter wheelbase compared to its five-door sibling with a sportier profile. It is the first time that Seat has offered a three-door version of the Leon, with the five-door model giving up on the hidden rear door handles as a consequence.

Read more »

All-New Seat Leon SC 3d Hatch Starts from £15,370 in the UK

The new and more restrained Leon is a significant departure for Seat, a manufacturer which had styled its previous generation of cars completely against the design directions of the time. After seeing the five-door new Leon, we were hoping that they would adopt a more radical approach to the appearance of the SC model, but they didn't. What they have done is announce the UK pricing for it. Read more »

Seat Official Says Hidden Rear Door Handles Hurt Sales of Previous Leon

Hidden door handles are a cheap and effective way to make four- or five-door cars look like coupés. They first appeared on the Alfa Romeo 156 and soon other car manufacturers began adopting them too, with Seat and Honda being the first examples that spring to mind. However, are these concealed handles effective? Well, while they do offer some cars a sportier appearance, they may not necessarily help sales. Read more »

Seat Chooses Geneva Motor Show to Launch New Leon Sport Coupe [w/Video]

The much loved curvaceous old-generation Seat Leon is now officially defunct, and its replacement is a much more angular and Germanic-looking car. However, the Seat designers were careful to give the car its own unique personality, and while there are signs of Audi influence here and there, you couldn't really mistake this for anything else. Read more »

A Photo Gallery from the VW Group Family Gathering in Geneva

Like every year, the Volkswagen Group held a special media event on the night before the opening of the Geneva International Auto Salon, where it rolled out all a selection of its world premieres.

Two of the most eye-catching and talked about models were the Lamborghini Veneno and the Porsche 911 GT3 – coincidentally, the former to celebrate the Italian brand's 50th anniversary, and the latter the 50th birthday of the 911 series.

Read more »

Seat Announces Geneva Auto Salon-Bound Mii Ecofuel

If the Seat-badged counterpart of the Volkswagen Up!, the ultra-compact Mii, isn't frugal enough for you, the Spanish manufacturer has now announced an even cleaner and cheaper to run version called the Ecofuel. Read more »

New Seat Leon Sports Coupé Officially Revealed [Photos & Video]

As we anticipated when a set of leaked photos of the new Leon SC (short for Sports Coupé) hit the internet late last night, Seat came out with official details and images of its compact-sized three-door hatchback that joins the five-door model.

At a first glance, it may look like Seat simply removed the rear doors from the regular Leon to create the SC, but the Spaniards made a few more important design changes to the car.

Read more »

First Official Shots of New Seat Leon SC Three-Door Hatch

Earlier today, we showed you a teaser image of the new Leon SC (Sports Coupe), which is the three-door version of the Seat's compact hatchback, shrouded in a white blanket.

From what we know, Seat will unveil the car online on Tuesday, ahead of its world premiere at the Geneva Auto Salon in March. At least that was the plan as some cheeky Czechs got hold of the first official images of the Leon SC and dropped them onto the web for our viewing pleasure.

Read more »