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Seat unveils electric Altea, Leon plug-in hybrid (2011)

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

14 November 2011 10:00

Seat has unveiled a pair of prototype electric cars to underline its commitment to EVs: the Altea XL Electric Ecomotive full electric car and the Leon TwinDrive Ecomotive plug-in hybrid.

Martorell has also confirmed plans to build hybrids in 2015 and electric cars from 2016. They'll be designed, developed and manufactured in Spain, as the VW group devolves green car centres of excellence away from Germany.

The electric Seats: the big plan

As you can tell from these first official photographs, the first prototype electric Seats are based on current-tech models nearing the end of their lives. Expect the new electrified production models to appear in next-gen replacements. The electric Altea and hybrid Leon will be tested by government fleets in Catalonia and Madrid to see how they perform in the real world as opposed to an artificial test lab.

The Altea XL Electric Ecomotive has an 85kW electric engine which is enough for a claimed 84mph. Seat claims the generous boot means there's still enough luggage space even with the batteries on board - they're stored under the rear seats, with no intrusion into the loadbay.

The hybrid Leon meanwhile can drive as an EV for 30 miles at up to 75mph. When the battery charge dips, the petrol engine kicks in. Combined usage of both power sources means a predicted average of 166mpg and CO2 output of just 39g/km.