What's the news?
More than 146,000 people took part in a vote to decide on the SEAT Tarraco being the name of the Spanish brand's new large SUV. As is the ongoing tradition of naming its models after geographical parts of Spain, it was Tarraco that came out as the most popular choice, taking just over 35 per cent of the vote. Other names in the running included Avila, Aranda and Alboran.
The Tarraco name is what the city of Tarragona is now known as, and is the oldest Roman settlement on the Iberian Peninsula. No doubt it will go down well with SEAT's Italian CEO, Luca de Meo. While the company has been keen to stay out of the political situation regarding the Catalonia and Spain, it will be the only model in the current range to take its name from the Catalan Region.
Anything else?
Exact details on the new SEAT Tarraco remain scant, as the car is not due to make its public debut until the Paris Motor Show in September.
An early teaser image gives little away, but it does reveal a new-look front grille that is more angular and not too dissimilar to the shape usually seen on Audi models. The car will be positioned above the SEAT Ateca and is due to go on sale in Spring 2019. It will feature up to seven seats, much like the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace. The Tarraco is also said to be larger than the Skoda Kodiaq, which it will share much of its mechanical architecture and underpinnings with.
The introduction of the Tarraco will likely signal an end to the company's Alhambra MPV, as the shift in popularity towards SUVs instead of MPVs continues. As with the brand's current product strategy, it is likely that the Tarraco will be available with both front- and all-wheel drive transmissions and a sportier FR specification is also due to be offered.
SEAT will also launch Cupra as a standalone brand, placing a greater emphasis on the performance aspect of its models. Currently, the high-performance versions of many SEAT models carry the Cupra name, and this will transition across to the new brand identity with greater differentiation between models. It is understood that the Cupra brand may produce entirely exclusive models with different body styles to the regular SEAT range.