SEAT, Volkswagen's Spanish division, is the latest VW Group marque to get into electric cars, and the automaker is using the Geneva motor show to unveil an electric hatchback concept bearing a close resemblance to the ID hatch concept revealed earlier. Named el-Born, in honor of a famous Barcelona neighborhood, the electric hatch is expected to represent one of the closest-to-production glimpses at VW's upcoming range of ID models, even though the el-Born would be sold as a SEAT in Europe. At this rate, we wouldn't rule out a Skoda-badged ID hatch either.
Boasting 260 miles of range, the el-Born is slated to enter production in 2020 in Zwickau, Germany, alongside other ID models using the smaller variant of the MEB platform. The platform also underpins several ID-badged models VW is bringing to Europe, the U.S. and other markets next year. That's right: VW has already confirmed this hatch for production. SEAT says that the el-Born can hit 62 mph in just 7.5 seconds, and it can be juiced up from 0 to 80 percent in as little as 47 minutes with supercharging capability. The hatch will use a 62-kWh battery, one of several capacity options expected with the small MEB platform hatches.
The el-Born is the closest window we have at the moment at what its ID twin will look like inside and out — Volkswagen's ID version will be closely related to the SEAT hatch.
"el-Born is the ultimate translation of our emotional SEAT design language into the new world of electrical vehicles," said Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, director of design at SEAT. "Our design team has taken very seriously the challenge of making our first full electric vehicle attractive. I believe that driving electric cars has to be thrilling, has to be fun. We have to make customers fall in love with the idea of the electric car."
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