SEAT el-Born concept previews VW's electric hatch family

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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