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SEAT Announces 2017 Offensive in Paris: New Ibiza, Arona Crossover and Leon Face

We were kind of expecting to see some of these cars this week at the Paris Motor Show. However, we at least know that three brand new SEAT models will debut next year... well, two new ones and a facelift.
Ateca X-Perience 14 photos
Photo: SEAT
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The Spanish automaker chose Europe's last big European motor show this year to set a couple of things straight. A brand new Ibiza generation will indeed debut in 2017, following the Skoda Fabia III and the upcoming all-new VW Polo.

We don't know very much about it at the moment, but there was a leaked sketch of a front end shaped like a big X a few months ago. The engines being offered all come from within the VW Group and include the 1.0 TSI, 1.5 TSI and a 3-cylinder TDI.

Also coming in 2017 is the Ateca's smaller brother. For the first time ever, we have an official name for it: Arona, after a city on the island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, as well as a place in the Italy’s Piedmont region.

Previous reports made it clear that the platform underpinning this car will not be the same as the MQB found under Audi's baby SUV, the Q2.

Looking at SEAT's past sales figures, the Leon facelift is actually the biggest news here. This competitive class of compacts will receive some undisclosed improvements for 2017. These will obviously include some fresh features and tech borrowed from the Ateca.

Speaking of which, this freshly launched crossover has racked up 21,000 firm orders since its inception. The Ateca X-Perience concept (shown in photo gallery_ presented in Paris is meant to show what can be done with what's already there. Similar to the Leon XP we tested about a year ago, it features raised suspension and a beefier body.

We're not entirely sure SEAT needs a car like that. But maybe the development of another crossover, a larger one, cannot be approved until this one proves its metal.

"The Leon, the Ibiza and the new Arona, together with the Ateca, are going to strengthen SEAT from a commercial, financial and brand image standpoint. 2017 is going to be a very special year for SEAT," said SEAT President Luca de Meo.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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