SEAT Announce Green Motoring Plans For The Future

SEAT has announced that it is developing green versions of two of its existing models.

The Spanish manufacturer has confirmed that rather than developing an entirely new model, it is focusing on making two of its popular models more eco-friendly instead. According to sources, SEAT is currently working on a plug-in hybrid Leon and a battery-powered Altea.

The SEAT Leon TwinDrive Ecomotive is expected to emit an average of 39g/Km of CO2 and have a range of 32 miles in electric mode, while the Altea XL Electric Ecomotive is limited to a top speed of 84mph. The latter will also feature clever solar panels on the roof which circulate cool air through the car to reduce the strain on the air conditioning.

The announcement has come as a shock to motoring experts who expected the manufacturer to create a stand alone electric model.

Commenting on the announcement, SEAT president James Muir said: 'In Spain, electric vehicle registrations were supposed to number 11,000 by now, but there are currently 197 on the road, so the demand clearly isn’t there. However, customers do want a more sustainable form of personal mobility, and their needs are diverse. We think a parallel strategy of developing two different technologies will put SEAT in the best position to meet their needs.'

As both vehicles are still in development, release dates have yet to be confirmed, however experts expect the Leon to go on sale in 2015, with the Altea set to follow a year later.