The Leon Cupra Cross Sport Concept may look like a perfect rally-inspired automobile, but unfortunately we’ll never see it perform in the wild, as Seat doesn’t intend to put it into production.
Based on the “regular” production-spec Leon SC Cupra, this study combines a 296 hp 2.0-litre turbo engine with a 41 mm higher-than-usual ground clearance for “when the route involves poor road surfaces”. The result is a high-performance, fully-functional all-wheel-drive automobile, created to redefine the notion of fun and take-on whatever the road throws at the driver, that Seat won’t make it available.
According to Autocar, design studio chief engineer Angel Lahoz, said that the Cupra Cross Sport will be used to inspire the design of future cars, but that’s about it:
“The car could be on the road tomorrow, but it will remain a concept car. It was important for us to see if we could create something that offered SUV practicality with Cupra performance; now we know we can, the Leon SC Cross Sport, along with other concepts, will help inspire future models.”
Conceived to appeal at a younger audience, the Spanish company unveiled the concept at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show and Seat was apparently weighing in the decision whether or not to give it the green light for production. However the project has been canned, but the British magazine reports it wasn’t due to Volkswagen’s emission scandal and budged cuts.
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