The new 2020 CUPRA León will have a plug-in hybrid version with a range of 50 km

SEAT will unveil the new generation of the SEAT León next year, and it will arrive with plug-in hybrid versions. Now, CUPRA has wanted to go further, and everything points to the brand also launching a plug-in hybrid version of the CUPRA León during 2020. Luca de Meo, executive chairman of Seat, has stated that “in 2020, the new generation of the León will reach the market in five-door and Estate (ST) versions”.

“It will have a hybrid powertrain that could deliver up to 245 CV and will emit less than 50g/km of CO2. Just before the end of 2020, the CUPRA León PHEV and the CUPRA León ST PHEV will reach the market, both with plug-in hybrid versions”.

The future plug-in hybrid CUPRA León will have the same power as the recently presented one at the Geneva Motor Show, the SEAT CUPRA Formentor concept. In addition, everything points to the performance division of the Martorell-based brand offering a CUPRA León with much more power, although without a hybrid system.

Wayne Griffiths, head of CUPRA, has confirmed that “we have to study the performance of plug-in hybrid cars. At the moment, the combined performance is good, but we could do even more. There are many things we could look at, such as electric traction on the rear axle, for example”.

The future CUPRA León will be developed on the improved MQB platform. The plug-in hybrid version will offer a range of 50 kilometres. Some sources claim that the new plug-in hybrid CUPRA León could share some lines with one of its bigger siblings, the SEAT Tarraco.

It is important to highlight that the CUPRA version of the previous generation of the SEAT León offered 300 CV, so both brands will have to boost the different versions of the new CUPRA León to position it ahead of many of its rivals.

CUPRA León PHEV, a commitment to electrification

The CUPRA León PHEV will become one of the six electrified SEAT models reaching the market between late 2020 and early 2021. The brand’s future plug-in hybrid will also be available in the usual combustion versions. .

The CUPRA chief also added that “discussions are ongoing” regarding the possible launch of a fully electric CUPRA model. This future CUPRA electric car could be based on the MEB electric car platform of the Volkswagen Group.

The future fully electric CUPRA “would have to fit in with the brand’s values, although at least in terms of acceleration, electric technology has already demonstrated its performance”, he concluded.

SEAT León 2020

The fourth generation of the SEAT León is being tested in northern Europe, specifically in Scandinavia. The new SEAT León arriving in 2020 will have lighting units that set it apart from its bigger siblings. In addition to a change of image, it will come loaded with technology and a plug-in hybrid version like the CUPRA León.

It will become the first plug-in hybrid from SEAT and will mark “a before and after in the brand’s transition towards electric mobility”. It will be available with five doors, in both hatchback and estate versions. The future PHEV version will be joined by a CNG version and combustion engines.

Technical specifications of this car

HatchbackSEAT Leon68 versions · from 27,822 €