SEAT just took the wraps off its first SUV, the Ateca, and talks about a sportier variant of the automobile are already starting to sprout.
We’re talking about a possible Cupra version, that would get the same potent 2.o-liter TFSI powering the Leon.
In fact, Auto Express reports that SEAT bosses are already assessing the feasibility of such a model, with president Luca de Meo confirming it during the launch of the new Ateca: “We are having the discussion right now. We are very creative. We can do a lot of things. But we have to make one solid step after the other.”
Design chief Alejandro Mesonero appears to be excited about the prospect of a high performance Ateca, stating: “We’re fighting to stretch the line.”
A theoretical 287 HP four-banger taken straight out of the Leon Cupra could have up to 100 HP more than the currently most powerful engine option available for SEAT’s SUV: the 187 HP 2.0-litre diesel.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the model will borrow the turbocharged powerplant from the hatchback, as the Ateca It could very well be powered by a diesel unit instead and leave the petrol engine exclusively for the car tack-capable smaller vehicles – nothing uncommon in the Volkswagen Group, since Audi did more or less the same with the SQ5.
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