SEAT has unveiled full details of the brand?s first SUV, the Ateca, described by the brand?s head as ?one of our most crucial cars ever.?
First seen at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2016, the Ateca will arrive in UK showrooms on 9th September, at prices starting from £17,990, which its creators point out undercuts several of its direct rivals including the segment-defining Nissan Qashqai.
Launching the car to media in Barcelona, SEAT chairman Luca de Meo describes it as the ?start of a new era for SEAT.
?The Ateca is a clear development of the Leon DNA and will drive forward the success of the range ? SEAT is a brand on the move,? de Meo says, adding that the model kicks off a product offensive that will see four new models in the next 18 months, while SEAT owner Volkswagen Group has committed to invest 3.3 billion Euros before 2019 to fund continued growth. SEAT is highly hopeful that UK sales for the Ateca will reflect customer orders in France and Germany that have already significantly exceeded the brand?s own forecasts. More than 11,000 UK customers registered interest in the car ahead of order books opening on 1st June.
Built in the Czech Republic on the versatile VW Group MQB platform, the Ateca boasts much of the body style of the recently renewed Leon family hatch, while the SUV?s designers add that it offers plenty of interior space including a 510-litre boot, 80 litres larger than the Qashqai?s.
At launch the Ateca will be available with five engine choices ? t...