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SEAT Discontinues Toledo In the United Kingdom

Launched in 1991 on the A2 vehicle architecture of the Mk2 Golf, the Toledo has never been a SEAT deep down inside. In its fourth generation since 2011 and now twinned with the Rapid, the fastback sedan is manufactured by Skoda in Mlada Boleslav by Skoda.
SEAT Toledo 7 photos
Photo: SEAT
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In addition to the badge-engineering it stands for, the Toledo isn’t too popular either with European customers. More to the point, SEAT sold 6,726 examples of the breed in 2017, down from 9,071 in 2016 and 10,286 in 2015. In other words, “commercial failure” are the words that best describe the small family car.

A few years ago, Top Gear made a list of the worst car you can buy. And the Toledo was up there in the ranking, “designed for the value-driven Mexican market.” Adding insult to injury, the Rapid upon which the Toledo is based is a badge-engineered Santana from China.

Better late than never, SEAT has announced that the Toledo is no longer available to order in the United Kingdom. Speaking to Autocar.co.uk, a representative of the Spanish automaker said the “shrinking segment” is to blame, forgetting to mention how bad the sales figures for the Toledo have always been.

Back in August 2018, SEAT canceled all turbo diesel options from the Toledo range, leaving the 1.0-liter TSI to soldier on by its own. The take-up rate for diesel-engined Toledo models slumped to less than 20 percent, and that goes to show how much the European market is changing.

The question is, will SEAT ever offer a replacement? Skoda prepares to launch the Scala as the successor for the Rapid. In turn, the Spanish automaker could rely on Skoda for the all-new Toledo provided that the Volkswagen Group agrees to this arrangement.

In related news, the fourth generation of the Leon is just around the corner. Going official at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, the compact hatchback will be launched in Europe in the summer for the upcoming model year. Similar to the Golf, the Leon is up for varying degrees of electrification, including the mild-hybrid version of the 2.0 TDI which is known as the EA288 Evo.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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