8:23 pm, September 15, 2011
SEAT has promised to put a sporting slant on Volkswagen’s Up when it introduces its version next summer.
The Spanish brand’s UK managing director told Car Dealer that Seat engineers will be given the freedom to ‘tune the driveability’ of the city car before it’s introduced.
‘We always aim to make our products the most sporting drive in their segment,’ explained Seat UK boss Peter Whinney at the Frankfurt motor show.
‘So while it might not have out and out performance it will still feel like a sporty drive. Styling will also be important. We’ll give it the younger flair compared to the more conservative VW offering.’
Skoda is alos set to get a version of the Up – making the city car the VW Group’s version of the Toyota Aygo/Peugeot 107/Citroen C1 trio. However, Whinney is insistent the Seat version will have to be good to drive.
Seat UK boss Peter Whinney says sporty version of Up is on the cards
He explained the Seat version will have a new nose and tail while the interior will be given a makeover too. Price point is still undecided, but it’s likely it will be less than the equivalent VW rival.
‘Whether the entry model is under £8k is still undecided,’ added Whinney. “‘t all depends what we put in it in terms of options.’
He couldn’t reveal what power trains Seat will pick from the current line up, but revealed the range would be kept simple with no more than three models in the line-up. A name for the Arosa replacement – a car that at one point shifted 5,000 units a year for Seat – is also still undecided.
There is also a chance Seat could opt for an ultra-efficient Up version with CO2 output under 79g/km. VW has a three-cylinder diesel unit that would be perfect for this and with Seat’s eco slant taken into account it could become even more economical.
‘The good news is in the UK we can specify exactly what we want for this model,’ added Whinney. ‘That means we can choose what we think the market wants. We’re looking carefully at this at the moment before making our decision.’
