The development of the new generation
Cupra Leon is almost complete, with Seat’s performance brand readying the
premiere of the hot hatch. After speaking with a Seat source, CarScoops can
confirm that it will be unveiled next week, on February 20, at the Cupra Garage
inauguration, alongside the new Cupra Leon Competicion and Cupra e-Racer. Its
public debut will take place at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show in early March,
before an expected arrival at dealers in select countries at the end of the
year.
The all-new Cupra Leon will be the first
Leon to wear the Cupra badge and will pack an upgraded version of the plug-in
hybrid powertrain found in the range-topping 2020 Seat Leon. In the latter, the
1.4-liter TSI plug-in hybrid develops a combined output of 204 PS and is backed up by a 13 kWh battery that gives it an electric range of 60
km.
The Cupra variant, however, is believed to
offer 245 PS and cover the 0-100 km/h sprint in
approximately 6.5 seconds. The zero-emission driving range will perhaps drop to
55 km. If it’s performance that you’re after, then you may want to
wait a bit for Cupra to launch the rumored Leon R (name unconfirmed).
Said model is tipped to use the same
2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder unit as the next Volkswagen Golf R. Expect
more than 300 HP and a weather-proof all-wheel drive system for a 0-100 km/h sprint of under 5 seconds. The rumor mill speaks about a
diesel-powered version of the new Cupra Leon as well, which would certainly
make sense on the ST estate model.
