This is Seat Mii, the third and final offering of the VW Group’s new city car project.
It takes Seat back into the small car segment for the first time since 2005, the year production of the Arosa ended. It goes on sale in Spain in November, before arriving in Europe from next spring.
A five-door version appears towards the end of 2012. Like its Skoda sister car, the Mii is expected to cost just under £8000 in entry-level form.
Seat UK sold 19,500 Arosas between 1997 and 2005 and says it expects to punch above its weight in this market sector, offering ‘value for money, some of best residual values and very low insurance ratings’.
There’ll be three trim levels and two equipment packages, Chic - which gets a chrome pack - and Sport, which gets tinted windows and a more sport chassis set-up.
It will be powered by two 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, engines rated at 59 and 74bhp. In standard form, the two motors are understood to produce 105 and 108g/km of Co2. However, the addition of the Ecomotive pack - which includes stop-start and energy recuperation - brings the Co2 output down to 97g/km. As well as a manual ‘box, the Mii will be offered with an automated manual ‘box, which uses ‘two electric motors to smooth the gear change’.
The Mii will also come with the big-car option of a City Safety Assist system, which uses a laser to detect vehicles in front of the car and, at speeds under 20mph, warns the driver of a potential collision and can even apply the brakes automatically.
Another unusual option is the Seat Portable System, a removable 5in multi-media device that can be use for navigation, as a hands-free phone and on-board computer and is integrated into the car’s audio system. It can be updated via the web and Seat is promising bespoke ‘Apps’ in the future.
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