The new SEAT Arona has been revealed ahead of its official public debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September.
The crossover SUV model is the company’s third new release in 2017, after the upgraded Leon and the new Ibiza, and forms part of what is the Spanish brand’s biggest product offensive ever, which also includes the Ateca and the upcoming large size SUV that will be released in 2018.
The Arona is also the first SEAT model in the compact crossover segment, which has increased four-fold since 2015.
Based on the Volkswagen Group’s MQB A0 platform, the new car measures 4,138 mm long, which is 79 mm more than the latest Ibiza. However, the real difference lies in its height, as the Arona is 99 mm taller. As a result, it offers not only higher ground clearance, but also more front and rear headroom, and, above all, a larger boot, with a 400-litre capacity. The suspension has also been increased by 15 mm and the windscreen is slightly more vertical than on the Ibiza.
In terms of power, there will be a range of both diesel and petrol engines at launch. The former will include a 1.6 TDI available with either 94 bhp or 113 bhp, while the latter will include a new four-cylinder, 148 bhp connected to a six-speed manual gearbox.
To be manufactured at the Spanish company’s Martorell plant, the new Arona will take aim at the likes of the Nissan Juke when it hits the market towards the end of the year.
“With our biggest product offensive, by the time the large SUV reaches the market, SEAT will have launched, on average, a new vehicle every six months in two and a half years. SEAT has allocated a total of 900 million euros in investments and R&D expenditure to the Ibiza and Arona. These investments are a part of the total investment of 3.3 billion euros for the 2015-2019 period,”, said company boss, Luca de Meo.
