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SEAT is once
again grabbing the spotlight at
Geneva with the unveiling,
today, of an exciting new
concept car.
The Swiss debut
of the Leon Ecomotive Concept, a
dramatic development of the
existing low emissions, high
economy family five-door,
underlines SEAT’s growing
stature as a motor maker that
appeals across the spectrum –
from exceptional economy to
outstanding performance.
Boasting a raft
of new technologies, as well as
an all-new 1.6-litre  TDI
diesel engine which features
state-of-the-art common rail
fuelling, the Leon Ecomotive
Concept delivers class-leading
CO2 emissions of just
99 g/km – the same as the
outgoing and much smaller Ibiza
Ecomotive – while offering
combined fuel economy of 74.3
mpg.
These significant
improvements in both emissions
and economy over the current
Leon Ecomotive (119 g/km and
62.8 mpg combined) come courtesy
not just of that new 105 PS
turbodiesel engine, complete
with DPF particulate filter, but
also an array of clever
fuel-saving innovations.
Among the new
features debuting on the Leon is
an Auto Start/Stop function.
When the car comes to a halt –
for instance at a traffic light
– and the driver selects neutral
and takes his foot off the
clutch, the Start/Stop function
automatically switches off the
engine. As he prepares to move
off again and depresses the
clutch, the engine is re-started
and the car can be driven as
normal.
The driver’s kept
up to speed on the system’s
operation via a special readout
in the instrument binnacle,
which also shows the optimum
gear for maximum economy at any
given moment.
This development
alone can deliver fuel savings
of as much as four miles per
gallon around town, without the
need for the Leon’s driver to
make any changes to their
driving style.
As well as the
slick Start/Stop system, the car
being unveiled at Geneva also
includes a form of brake energy
recovery – harnessing energy
generated during the braking
process to save fuel by reducing
the usual drain on engine power
that stems from a conventional
alternator.
Of course many of
the existing fuel- and
emissions-saving techniques
employed in the existing Leon
Ecomotive find their way into
the new concept car: lengthened
gear ratios, the use of low
rolling resistance tyres and
optimised aerodynamics all
feature.
The Leon
Ecomotive Concept follows hot on
the heels of the
recently-unveiled Leon Twin
Drive Ecomotive prototype.
That concept
showcases SEAT’s work towards
producing vehicles which run on
electricity in urban areas,
switching seamlessly to
conventional petrol or diesel
power for longer trips out of
town. |
