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A radical new SEAT, conceived to run on electric power or a conventional petrol engine, has been unveiled in Spain. The green-minded Leon Twin Drive Ecomotive prototype made its debut at the SEAT Technical Centre in Martorell, near Barcelona.
The ultra-low emissions concept was unveiled in front of Spanish Government minister Miguel Sebastián, as well as Catalan and local government representatives. As its name suggests, the innovative Twin Drive concept is being developed to pioneer important advances in hybrid technology.
The initial aim is for Twin Drive-equipped SEATs to run on electricity in urban areas, switching seamlessly to conventional petrol or diesel power for longer trips out of town. So-called ‘plug-in’ hybrid propulsion, as well as the eventual phasing out of the internal combustion engine in future Ecomotive models, is also on the agenda for SEAT.
SEAT chairman Erich Schmitt, along with Volkswagen Group Executive Committee member and Chairman of SEAT’s Board of Directors, Francisco García Sanz, unveiled the radical Leon prototype.
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I have to say, I’m not a huge fan of American cars. Big lazy engines don’t really do much for me - neither does the usually squishy ride quality. However, the CTS is known for a harder ride, was honed at the Nurburgring and provided a decent amount of ooomph. So, when the CTS-V was announced I must say I looked at the price very keenly. I wonder if in a few years it’ll drop far enough to get into my price range…
Anyway, here’s the details on this monster:
The all-new CTS-V ‘supersaloon’ – the most powerful Cadillac ever – is available from February 2009 and will be priced from £56,495 on-the-road (£58,995 for the automatic transmission model).
CTS-V’s supercharged 6.2-litre V8 engine delivers 564 ps (415 kW) and 747 Nm, launching the car to 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds and on to 191 mph where legal (175 mph for the automatic transmission). Its incredible performance capabilities enabled the CTS-V to claim the unofficial lap record for a production saloon (7 mins 59.32 secs) around the Nürburgring’s legendary Nordschleife circuit in October 2008.
