2020 Seat El-Born: new details revealed for electric hatchback
Seat's EV sibling to the VW ID 3 spotted in updated prototype form, with styling more in line with the Geneva show concept
The Seat El-Born has been pictured undergoing testing, revealing more of the brand's debut EV ahead of its official launch.
The model, named after a fashionable Barcelona neighbourhood, has been updated from prior spy shots with less disguise and a redesigned rear bumper, which more closely matches the dimensions and details seen on the original Geneva motor show concept (below).
It also appears to gain independent rear lights and aeroydynamic alloy wheels, in place of the preproduction versions seen on earlier prototype cars.
Autocar was told last year that the Geneva concept was 95% production ready, with only a few minor changes coming ahead of production, and that appears to be the case.
The El-Born will be the second EV built on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB electric architecture to go on sale when it is launched in 2020, after the Volkswagen ID hatchback. The engineering and powertrain of the two compact models are expected to be closely aligned, with a range of power outputs offered.
The El-Born concept featured a 62kWh battery mounted in the skateboard chassis, with an electric motor making 201bhp. Seat claims it will achieve 0-62mph in 7.5sec.
It will be compatible with 100kW DC supercharging, allowing the battery to be filled from empty to 80% in 47 minutes. The total range is quoted at 261 miles for this concept. It will also feature a thermal management system to maximise range in hot weather.
The machine features a similar hatchback profile to the ID and styling that showcases what Seat design chief Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos calls “the ultimate translation of our emotional design language into the new world of electrical vehicles”. He added that “we have to make customers fall in love with the idea” of an EV.
The design features several streamlined areas to boost aerodynamic efficiency, including the Seat logo positioned flush on the front bodywork of the car, above small cooling vents that provide air to the battery pack.
The A-pillar of the car has been pushed forward to maximise internal space, with the sharp side lines creating an air curtain. The rear features an LED light strip that runs the full width of the bootlid, with a double-layer spoiler contributing to the car's aerodynamic efficiency.
The interior features a digital instrument display and a 10.0in infotainment touchscreen in a dashboard design that, Seat says, is driver-oriented.
Seat also says the El-Born will feature "state-of-the-art" driver assistance systems capable of level two autonomy, meaning it can control steering, acceleration and deceleration. A large central bag compartment is located where the transmission tunnel would sit in a regular combustion-engined car.
The El-Born will be built alongside the ID at Volkswagen’s plant in Zwickau, Germany. The first bespoke electric car from Skoda, Seat's Volkswagen Group sibling, will be based on the Vision E concept and also use the MEB platform and similar underpinnings.
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