Photo: SB-Medien
SEAT likes to call all its cars after real places, and el-Born is the name of a district in Barcelona. The company hopes the hip, urban attitude will rub off on what is their first real electric car.
As a member of the Volkswagen Group, SEAT has had the opportunity to play with electricity before but is one of the few European companies not offering a hybrid of some sort. You could say that the el-Born will rival the Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe, which are the most popular EVs in Europe.
However, the el-Born is different, bigger and sized the same as Volkswagen's ID.3. In fact, the two share a platform called the MEB, and only through joint development and cost-sharing does is the budget-oriented SEAT brand able to offer this car.
While we don't particularly like the name, the styling gets our stamp of approval. Upon seeing these first spy photos, we immediately recognized the sharp headlights and swept-back design of the concept. It even seems to keep the wrap-around LED taillights.
Based on the ID.3, we believe the ID.3 will be almost the same length as a Leon, but its wheelbase will be much longer, by about 170mm. The body will also be around 50-60mm taller to allow for a battery pack.
Unlike the Zoe and Leaf, this Spanish EV model has the electric motor at the back, which means good turning circles. At about 300 liters, trunk space won't be amazing, but rear legroom should be quite impressive.
As for the engines themselves, there should be a base version with 150 HP and a more powerful 204 HP setup. Even twin motors are possible, offering a combined 306 HP, though we'd imagine only a Cupra version would have that much.
Matching the three engines, three battery packs will be available too, though not necessarily in a direct combination. The base 45 kWh model will get up to 330 km of range (205 miles) and charge at 50 kW. The 58 kWh battery has 420 km of range (261 miles) and will be 100kW-compatible normally, adding about 250 km of range in 30 minutes. Finally, there's the possibility of a range-topping with 77 kWh of capacity and 550 km in range.
However, the el-Born is different, bigger and sized the same as Volkswagen's ID.3. In fact, the two share a platform called the MEB, and only through joint development and cost-sharing does is the budget-oriented SEAT brand able to offer this car.
While we don't particularly like the name, the styling gets our stamp of approval. Upon seeing these first spy photos, we immediately recognized the sharp headlights and swept-back design of the concept. It even seems to keep the wrap-around LED taillights.
Based on the ID.3, we believe the ID.3 will be almost the same length as a Leon, but its wheelbase will be much longer, by about 170mm. The body will also be around 50-60mm taller to allow for a battery pack.
Unlike the Zoe and Leaf, this Spanish EV model has the electric motor at the back, which means good turning circles. At about 300 liters, trunk space won't be amazing, but rear legroom should be quite impressive.
As for the engines themselves, there should be a base version with 150 HP and a more powerful 204 HP setup. Even twin motors are possible, offering a combined 306 HP, though we'd imagine only a Cupra version would have that much.
Matching the three engines, three battery packs will be available too, though not necessarily in a direct combination. The base 45 kWh model will get up to 330 km of range (205 miles) and charge at 50 kW. The 58 kWh battery has 420 km of range (261 miles) and will be 100kW-compatible normally, adding about 250 km of range in 30 minutes. Finally, there's the possibility of a range-topping with 77 kWh of capacity and 550 km in range.
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