Seat has revealed its third generation Leon, which will be launched at the 2012 Paris Motor Show at the end of September. The new model will be available in three different body styles, a three-door, five-door hatch as well as an estate variant. “The new Leon condenses all the strengths of the SEAT brand more than ever before. It is a car with sporting character and wide-ranging strengths. It brings quality and technologies from the full-size class into the compact segment. The Leon is a decisive step in SEAT’s brand and growth strategy. It will be launched towards the end of this year as a five-door and will subsequently grow with further variants into a fully-fledged family” says James Muir, President of SEAT S.A.

The new Leon will be lighter and more fuel-efficient than its predecessor, and the upgraded range of engines will come from Volkswagen. All engines will feature direct injection and forced induction. The new model has a sharper look with more creases similar to the IBE concept and the Ibiza. Seat has replaced the current model’s hidden rear door grips with conventional handles mounted on doors, due to the fact that there will be a three-door Leon. It will be the first car to wear the company’s newly designed badge, which will eventually be used on all models. It features a new infotainment system that comes with a 5.8 inch touch screen with three-dimensional graphics in high-definition, iPod connectivity, an optional DAB tuner and voice recognition.

The new Leon measures 4,263 mm in length that makes it five centimeters shorter than the outgoing model. The luggage compartment has a volume of 380 liters, which is around 40 liters more than the preceding model. A number of lightweight materials have been used in manufacturing the new model. The overall weight has been reduced by 90 kg compared to the second generation model. It will be offered with a mix of TSI petrol and TDi diesel engines. At launch, the Leon will be offered with a 1.6-liter turbo diesel generating 104hp (105PS) and 250Nm (184 lb.ft) of torque that returns 4.0lt/100km (70.6mpg UK or 58.8mpg US) with CO2 emissions of just 99g/km. There’s also a 2.0-liter turbo diesel with 148hp (150PS) and 320Nm (236 lb.ft). Early next year will see the arrival of several gasoline engines including the 1.2-liter TSI in 85hp (86PS) and 104hp (105PS) flavors, the 1.4-liter TSI with 120hp (122PS) and a 1.8-liter TSI producing 178hp (180PS). Depending on the engine, transmission options include five- and six-speed manual gearboxes and six- and seven-speed DSG dual-clutch gearboxes.

via CarScoop