SEAT presented its new León Cupra this morning at the London Motor Show, where WTCC driver James Thompson and BTCC driver Jason Plato, unveiled the new model produced at the Martorell facilities. Together with their team-mates, they are currently leading the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC)classification, and also in the lead at the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC).
 
SEAT President Dr. Andreas Schleef said that the choice of London to present the new model, “which can be defined as our street version of the León WTCC” was not purely by chance, since “the UK is where the most Seat León Cupra units have been sold”. In fact, sales of the Seat León range have increased by 72% in the UK over the previous year. Dr. Schleef also pointed out that Seat has increased its sales in the UK by more than 12%, a significant figure when bearing
in mind that the market has decreased by 4%. In Europe, total Seat sales grew by more than 5% from January to June compared with first-half sales in 2005.
 
The most powerful Cupra model
 
Since the first León Cupra appeared in 2000, Seat has progressively been improving its engines so that the Cupra is the brand’s flagship, beginning with the 204 hp, and the 215 and 225 hp Cupra R. Now, the 240 hp 2.0 TFSI provides the León Cupra with performance levels worthy of a WTCC car – a top speed of 247 km/h and 0 to 100 acceleration in only 6.4 seconds.
 
Another traditional defining trait of the Cupra is its spectacular looks and sporty interior. The new León Cupra is no exception, and features magnificent 18 inch rims, the usual polished steel oval tailpipe, specific steering wheel and gearknob and black interior trim. Similar to the Ibiza Cupra, it also sports the Cupra logo in the centre of the rear hatch, and features ebony black door mirrors. One of the most outstanding novelties in its interior are the exclusive sporty bucket seats.
 
The León FR reaches the UK market
 
The León Cupra will not have the exclusive for sportiness at the Seat booth in London. The new León FR can also be admired, which has recently gone on sale in the UK market. With a 170 hp 2.0 TDI diesel and a 200 hp 2.0 TFSI petrol engine, the León FR is SEAT’s sporty answer to those who crave high performance without resorting to the radical Cupra solution.