Deliveries of the all-new, 3rd generation start in March 2013
All-new SEAT Leon gets a rich list of standard equipment
With advanced engines, gearboxes and technology options

05 Oct. 2012, Elie Aoun: Making its world debut at this year's Paris international motor show (public days from 29 September to 14 October), the new, third-generation SEAT Leon comes loaded with interesting standard as well as optional equipment (such as the SEAT Drive Profile) for its segment and price positions, in addition to a longer wheelbase, larger boot volume, and a varied selection of VW's advanced petrol (gasoline) and diesel engines.

At launch, the new Leon will be available (UK specs) with 1.2 TSI , 1.4 TSI and 1.8 TSI, petrol engines, and 1.6 TDI and 2.0 TDI turbo-diesel engines. Based on engine choices, the gearbox is either 5- / 6-speed manual or 6- / 7-speed DSG twin-clutch automatic gearbox.

As a matter of fact, the obvious advances in the new Leon generation, including its design,  represent a great deal for the VW-owned Spanish brand.

That may not be too hard to guess when you look at the current financial situation in Spain, amongst several other countries of course. Add to this the fact that the Martorell-based (Barcelona) carmaker sold last year about 350,000 units (+3.5% compared to 2010), of which about 80%  are exported.

All this indicates the urgent need for SEAT to boost its production, as the company employs around 14,000 at its three production centres in Barcelona – Zona Franca, El Prat de Llobregat and Martorell, where it builds the Ibiza, Leon, Altea, Exeo as well as the Audi Q3 compact SUV.

In this context, the new Leon is a structural part of SEAT’s current product offensive, after the introduction of its new city car, the Mii (built at the VW factory in Bratislava, Slovakia) as well as an extensively refreshed Ibiza and the launch of the fourth generation Toledo hatchback which is produced in the Czech Republic and based, like the European Skoda Rapid (Skoda is also part of the VW group), on the VW Polo platform.

In the broader sense, the all-new five-door SEAT Leon – the first of an expanding new Leon family – looks quite promising and convincing as a compact (lower-medium, C-segment) hatchback, both by the looks and the specs. Besides this 5-door body, other Leon versions are expected to follow next year with a three-door SC shape and an ST estate (break, station wagon), since the platform supports all these applications, in addition of course, to the compact SUV crossovers and compact minivans seen in the Audi and VW brands line-up.

That's why the new Leon brings a successful mixture of Spanish-peppered Latin identity, with a German quality perception. After all, what is more normal than to share some family looks with other Volkswagen models based on the new Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB) platform, such as the new Audi A3 and VW Golf for instance.

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Thanks to this common platform denominator, the new Leon is some 90 kg (198.4 lb) lighter than its predecessor (in equivalent versions comparison), with many advanced driver assistance and infotainment technologies, a full LED headlamps option and the rich choice of advanced engines and transmissions.