The new SEAT Leon is an important step for the Spanish car maker, make no mistake. It competes in a tightly fought sector of the car market that has seen competitors making big strides while the Leon remains largely unchanged. Sadly the current model can’t help but look a bit tired against such fresh rivals but with the release of pictures of the all new Mk3 SEAT Leon things are about to change.
SEAT’s first car was the 1400, built in 1953
SEAT have big hopes for their new Leon and are even talking of … evolution. That’s a bold claim, but then SEAT have made some bold moves in the past. Remember when they decided to go racing with the Leon but chose to use diesel engines instead of petrol? There was some sniggering from rivals but the Leon managed to win the WTCC driver’s title for Gabriele Tarquini and brought SEAT the manufacturer’s trophy not once but twice … in a row!
As a reminder of some of the significant cars of their past SEAT have released this brief video showing the evolution of the marque. Their first ever car was the 1400, a rear-drive built in Barcelona in 1953 and sold until 1963. How things have changed – now SEAT make more Leons in a year than they made of the 1400 in ten years.
So will the new Leon mark the start of an evolution for the brand? We’ll find out more when the Leon is shown in public for the first time at the Paris Motor Show in October.
