| From a design point-of-view, the new
León is the car Seat has been pushing forward for a very long time.
It is the product that will further enhance Seat's image as a sexy brand
for a younger generation.
The León is a reflection
of a bold and confident Seat with its dynamic lines and bold
relationship between glass and body |
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"The León for us is the Salsa for the road," says Steve
Lewis, head of design at Seat and in charge of the exterior project. With
the Salsa, he is referring to the provocative concept car shown at the
Geneva Show in 2000 that has finally found a voice in the new León.
"This is the car we have been waiting for; it has all the design
elements that we wanted to achieve."
The León sits between the Ibiza and Altea to form the three cornerstones
of the Spanish brand. Along with the Toledo and Altea, the new car also
represents the third in the new series of products developed by Seat following
its strategic integration three years ago, with ultra-sporting Lamborghini,
into the Audi Group. Since, Seat has benefited greatly from sharing technology
and platforms as well as getting some extra kudos from being part of this
sexy team.
Making its world debut at the Barcelona Show in May, the sporty and compact
four-door coupé is a true representation of where Seat is heading
in terms of design DNA and brand image.
Walter de'Silva, best known for his signature design input at Alfa Romeo,
is the man who has effectively turned the Seat brand around. Its identity
was not at all clear when he arrived there four years ago. "I started
to produce a clear design direction for Seat with the Tango prototype.
It was a challenge because I was free to design a brand that was not based
on history." As design boss of the Audi Group, his role is more on
a managerial level now, but from the sounds of it, he still likes to get
his hands dirty with design.
"The new generation of Seat cars are not followers," says de'Silva.
"One of the risks I like to take in design is not to follow other
cars. Okay, there are some elements that you can recognise in the car
that I have designed myself, but this is normal as often the personality
of the designer comes through in their work."
What de'Silva is referring to are the invisible rear door handles. Alfa
style, they have been tucked away neatly in the rear door frames, giving
the delusion that the car only has 3-doors. Lewis protests at the Alfa
link saying: "Everyone is saying that Walter de'Silva is bringing
over his design from Alfa, but we had to convince him that this will work
for the León car. Besides, it works in a different way on this
car."
Whatever the case, this clever feature has allowed the designers to have
much more freedom with the body architecture and introduce a sporting
feel to the León. This coupled with the expressive headlamps --
same as in the Altea -- and the suggestive shape of the bonnet make the
car stand out on the road.
This is very sculptural car. "I like the relationship between the
glass and the body," says de'Silva. The dynamic line -- a characteristic
on all new Seat cars -- that runs long the side of the body from the front
wheel arch to the rear wheel, makes the car seem agile, creating the feel
of motion while the car is stationary.
The interior is different from the Altea. Trim levels and the dashboard
have been designed in such a way to present the León with a little
more upmarket and elegant ambience. "The general feeling you get
from this car is that you are more enclosed," says Lewis.
Another clever feature is the wipers that have been hidden underneath
the bonnet cover. The design is an evolution from the Altea although in
this case, the wipers have become an integral feature on the León.
"The dynamic language will filter through to other Seat models,"
promises Lewis, although it will be interpreted in a different way. "Our
cars will remain muscular in their appearance, a little more unconventional
than competition and taut in their use in their combination between hard
and soft lines," he says.
"Design is not freedom," says de'Silva. "Design is to decide
on the criteria that describes a brand. Each brand has to have its own
design orientation. We then have to combine the criteria with the personality
and with the mission of each brand."
"The mission of Seat is to think young, to appeal to the younger
generation and to think of being sportive in an unconventional way. Audi
is more classy and sophisticated and Lamborghini is without limits,"
he says.
In that context, the León aims at young couples who are starting
a young family. These people may already own a sports car; don't want
to leave that image behind, but they need five doors, yet at the same
time don't want their car to look like a five door. "Therefore this
solution," notes Lewis, "make it look like three doors, hide
the rear door handles and keep the 5-door space."
The León is certain to make a mark within Seat and push forward
its public image enormously. The carmaker could perhaps benefit even further
from having a more niche sporty roadster model that will add a little
sparkle of sexiness to the brand. Lewis admits that they would love to
do a sports car and that it is always on their drawing board. "If
we do a sports car we would need to be in America," he notes, "or
we would need one of the parents company -- Audi or Volkswagen -- to do
a sports car from which we could make our own. Only then it will be financially
viable."
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