Currently reading: New Seat gets Audi face
Spanish brand’s new family car based on old A4

Seat’s new family car, due for launch at the Paris Show in October, will be a thinly disguised version of the just-superseded Audi A4, company bosses have revealed – and they don’t care who knows it. These official sketches show how the car, codenamed Bolero but unlikely to use that name in production, will have a fascia from the Audi A4 cabriolet. It will use a selection of the latest Audi-VW engines, but its proportions, greenhouse, chassis, suspension, doors and glass will be recognisably Audi.“This may not seem a conventional approach to car design,” said Seat design boss Luc Donckerwolke, who has worked at Audi in the past, “but we believe the Seat brand will become established much faster in this highly competitive sector if the first model we offer has a proven record of quality and reliability. With the A4-based model, there will be no room for doubt.”Seat will start building the car in December in a new production line inside its Barcelona plant, aiming at a March launch and volume of 40,000 cars per year. The company is coy about pricing, but insiders say it will be similarly priced to the Skoda Superb, offering sportiness and performance where the Skoda offers space.

Steve Cropley

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The Apprentice 9 May 2008

Re: New Seat gets Audi face

oh dear!

Another Daewoo - isn't that what they used to do? take over an old model and add some new panels?

Presumably it will be made sporty in the time honoured Seat manner - weld up the suspension so there isn't any.

rogerthedodger 9 May 2008

Re: New Seat gets Audi face

VW and Audi just don't get it, do they.

Skoda has become the affordable face of a new VW and now SEAT is going to be an affordable Audi. If the new A4 was good enough or the Passat good enough value, they would not need to do this

Given that the new A4 doesn't how that well in your recent comparison test against the Modeo and the Accord, this exercise will not make it any easier to push Audi up to the levels of BMW, if that's what you want. Why buy a new (not that special) A4 rather than the better Mondeo or the SEAT version of the old for 15% less? Or are we all assumed to be badge snobs?

Why don't VW admit - they have too many brands, they know don't what to do with SEAT and should let it die?

private 5 May 2008

Re: New Seat gets Audi face

It is a shame that Seat couldn't develop a brand new model for this sector, as the competition has got so much better recently. Skoda made a good job of re-engineering a long wheelbase Passat and have now got a brand new model, perhaps using this method is the only way Seat can test the market, but surely entering the market with an out of date model is bad news for any manufacturer.