Seat officially unveils new Toledo
Tue, 26 Jun 2012
In contrast to the Škoda's seven powerplant options, three will be on the Seat menu at launch: two petrol-flavored offerings in the form of a 1.2-liter, 73-horsepower TSI and a 1.4-liter, 119-hp TSI, and an oil-burning 1.6-liter, 102-hp TDI. Next year, a less potent 1.6-liter, 88-hp diesel will be added to the range.
We'll have live shots of it from the Paris Auto Salon floor later this fall, after which it will appear in Spanish and Portuguese showrooms before exports expand to other parts of the world. Prices will be announced closer to launch, so scroll down for a presser with the other details on Seat's new baby.
New SEAT Toledo is revealed
Excellent value-for-money
- The elegance of a coupé, the versatility of a hatchback
- Modern TSI engines with 1.2- and 1.4-litre capacities
- Efficient 1.6 TDI engine with two outputs
(25 June 2012) -- The new SEAT Toledo is today unveiled - and with keen dynamics, elegant, modern design, highly efficient TSI and TDI engines, outstanding practicality and excellent workmanship, this hatchback is sticking to the recipe for success that proved so popular for its predecessors.
SEAT produced more than 860,000 units of the first two Toledo ranges alone - success based on the combination of attractive design and practical characteristics. This new generation continues the winning formula: with generous space, a high degree of flexibility, outstanding efficiency and excellent value-for-money, the new Toledo appeals to customers seeking a practical, top-quality and affordable car for the whole family - without missing out on elegant design and dynamic driving fun.
"The new Toledo will write a whole new success story with its clear SEAT identity, its high quality standard and its extraordinary value-for-money," says James Muir, President of SEAT, S.A. "The Toledo combines great design with amazing practicality and dynamic driving fun with excellent efficiency. This is how we envisage the perfect saloon. Our customers will say: 'That is a great car at a great price!'"
The all-new Toledo will be launched initially in Spain and Portugal in mid-November and then in the UK in the first quarter of 2013. Next to Spain, other key markets for the Toledo are Germany, Mexico and Turkey.
Attractive look with amazing practicality
With a length of 4.48 metres, the new Toledo is four centimetres longer than its predecessor from 2004. In contrast to the Toledo II, which was equipped with a conventional boot lid, the latest version of the model line - despite its saloon-like profile - comes with a large, wide-opening rear hatch. The comparatively long wheelbase of 2,602 mm (80 mm longer than the Toledo II) delivers a generous feeling of space and plenty of legroom for all passengers.
"The new Toledo is a true SEAT - perfect for the demands of everyday life, with the highest quality and reliability," says Dr. Matthias Rabe, Vice President of Research and Development for SEAT S.A. "The latest drive and chassis technologies of Volkswagen Group deliver excellent driving fun, as well as outstanding efficiency and safety. And when it comes to consumption and emissions figures in particular, the Toledo is among the best-in-class."
Clear design with extra refinement
The aesthetics of the new Toledo are a consistent development of the new SEAT brand design presented in the IBE, IBX and IBL concept cars. And it proves that a five-door, compact hatchback can be exceptionally emotional, sporty and elegant.
The new SEAT Toledo has a powerful and solid stance, with clear and precisely defined surfaces, lines and edges. The broad, angular headlamps are a feature of the brand's current design DNA. Together with the trapezoidal, extremely slender grille, the lower air intake and the horizontal rear light clusters, they bring added visual breadth to the car.
The designers injected an extra portion of refinement into the roofline; it runs in an elegant arc to the broad C-pillar, which rises smoothly from the rear side portion. The low lying rear windscreen gives the new SEAT the air of a coupé, without impacting in any way its versatility and functionality.
"The new Toledo is a timeless personality. It combines classically modern lines with understated sporting character and a high level of everyday practicality. It is the SEAT among saloon cars, with excellent design quality in every detail," says Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, Head of SEAT Design.
The latest engines, outstanding efficiency
As a completely new model, the Toledo makes use of the very latest Volkswagen Group engines. At the pinnacle are highly efficient TSI petrol engines in 1.2 and 1.4 displacements, and a 1.6 common-rail TDI unit. A seven-speed dual-shift gearbox (DSG) is offered in combination with the most powerful petrol variants. The petrol engines generate between 55 kW (75 PS) and 90 kW (122 PS); the petrol Ecomotive version boasts CO2 emissions of just 116 g/km. The Ecomotive version of the TDI diesel engine - which produces 77 kW (105 PS) from a displacement of 1.6 litres - also offers a best-in-class CO2 figure of 104 g/km. During 2013, SEAT will expand the Toledo diesel line-up with a 66 kW (90 PS) TDI variant.
Great equipment as standard
The standard safety package for all SEAT Toledos includes driver and passenger airbags, front side airbags and head/thorax airbags. The base model also comes with central locking, a two piece folding rear bench and power windows in the front. The more extensively equipped Reference and Style versions offer additional extras in comfort and design.
Full UK pricing, specification, engine and model line-up details for the new Toledo will be revealed closer to its on-sale date early in 2013.
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SEAT is the only company in its sector with the full-range capacity to design, develop, manufacture and market cars in Spain. A member of the Volkswagen Group, the multinational has its headquarters in Martorell (Barcelona), exporting approximately 80% of its vehicles to 75 countries. SEAT is market leader in Spain, and in 2011 had a total turnover of more than 5.0 billion euros, with overall deliveries amounting to 350,000 units.
SEAT Group employs more than 14,000 professionals at its three production centres in Barcelona - Zona Franca, El Prat de Llobregat and Martorell, where it manufactures the highly successful Ibiza and Leon, amongst other models. The Volkswagen Group production facility at Palmela in Portugal supplies the SEAT Alhambra and the factory in Bratislava (Slovakia) manufactures the SEAT Mii.
The Spanish multinational also has a Technical Center - a 'knowledge hub' - bringing together more than 900 engineers whose goal is to be the driving force behind innovation for the number one industrial investor in R&D in Spain. In line with its declared commitment to environmental protection, SEAT undertakes and bases its core activity on sustainability, namely reduction of CO2 emissions, energy efficiency, as well as recycling and re-use of resources.
By Jonathon Ramsey
See also: Skoda recreates Stonehenge out of old cars, Skoda reveals new Rapid, Seat Toledo leaks out ahead of Paris reveal.