With the official reveal on the horizon, the next SEAT Leon has been spied testing with what appears to be production-ready body styling and lighting units.
The current generation SEAT Leon was the first car to adopt the VW Group’s MQB platform, that’s now shared with the next Golf, Audi’s A3 and the Skoda Octavia. It’s likely that those underpinnings will be carried across into this new generation car when it’s revealed later in 2019.
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> 2021 Cupra Leon spied testing – hybrid Ford Focus ST rival on the horizon
Looking at this prototype, it is clear that the next Leon will have a more shapely body, trading the taut, neat proportions of the current car for a more sculptural and aggressive shape. The nose clearly takes cues from the new Tarraco SUV, the first model to adopt SEAT’s next generation design language, including a reshaped grille and slim, pointed headlights. Although the model still has significant camouflage, the latest spy photos reveal more detail of the front bumper than previously.
The windowline does mimic the current model, with a sharp upturn forming a solid c-pillar, but below is now a much larger, more defined shoulder line over the rear wheels, leading to a sharper rear screen rake and tapered tail. The rear lights have also made a dramatic change, peeking from behind the camouflage are thin, triangular LED units. Look closer and you’ll also see some light being emitted from the centre of the tailgate, pointing towards a likely application of a full-width light bar under the shallow rear window.
The next Leon will unfortunately lose its three-door SC option, the range now being made up from five-door and estate models only. We also suspect that the interior will undergo a major overhaul, being one element often criticised in the current generation. Expect a wider application of the VW Group’s latest tech, including larger high-res displays and improved interior plastics as the brand continues to push further towards the premium end of the market.
SEAT has confirmed that the next Leon will be available in plug-in hybrid form, opening the door to a possible integration of hybrid tech in the next generation Cupra variants. Whether this takes the form of a Volkswagen GTE-style warm hatch, or something more in the vein of a mild-hybrid, we can only speculate, but the work completed by SEAT in further integrating electrification could yield interesting possibilities for the next generation of Cupras.
> Click here for our look at the new Cupra Ateca
More certain is the next hot Leon will be a Cupra and not a SEAT. It’ll follow in the performance versions of the Ateca and Ibiza and won’t be badged as a SEAT but, like all future fast versions from the Spanish maker, it’ll be a Cupra. This restructure forms a part of SEAT’s aggressive expansion plans in the hope of generating more revenue for the company.
Adding weight to our ruminations about the future of Cupra, SEAT boss Luca de Meo stated at a recent media event that Cupra is ‘a brand that generates more income, attracts new customers, remains committed to motorsport, seamlessly integrates technologies such as electrification, hybridisation, connectivity and driver assistants, and enhances the image, credibility and reputation of the entire SEAT organisation.’
