Seat Exeo

[vRS]

Very handsome looking car. Wonder if they'll do a Cupra R version

 

[Wizegui]

The Passat at least doesn?t look like an A4 ... nor does the Skoda Octavia (both A4s underneath)... but to have a Seat that completly looks like an A4 (side, interior) ... that?s not right.

I thought the Passat was based on a different platform, as the A4 has a longitudinal mounted engine. As for the Exceo, I really can't see why people would say that it isn't an Audi when it clearly uses an Audi platform, Audi dash, Audi drivetrain, and various interior and exterior bits. If the price was low enough, I would have no problems at all with considering this car over the current generation A4. It just comes to show why Lexus hasn't worked in Europe at all.

 

[Z102]

While I don't share Vltros' general dislike about SEATs (I believe they're pretty competitive in their niche, which is way below Audi and VW), I'm also not a great fan of the Exeo. My fear is that this may be the beginning of a new age for the smallest brands in the VW groups, where in-house development of new models is halted and replaced by this sort of badge-engineering. Of course, I could be wrong, and SEAT honestly believed this was just the best (i.e. cost-effective) solution to SEAT's lack of a proper mid-size saloon.

In any case, SEAT wouldn't have had this problem if they hadn't forgotten in the first place what people wanted (a good, dependable saloon car like the first and second gen Toledos were) and instead decided to give them what the people in marketing and design thought was cool and trendy (a weird-looking cross between a saloon and an MPV).

 

[Interrobang]

I thought the Passat was based on a different platform, as the A4 has a longitudinal mounted engine.[...]

And you right about that. My bad. The Current Passat is based on a longer Version of the current Golf Plattform as well as the Skoda Superb ...

 

[H0nzik]

Yeah the current Passat hasn't got much to do with the A4 anymore, as the Passat has now got a transversely mounted engine, while the A4 carries on with the longitudinal layout. The Octavia is based on the Golf platform.

As for the Exeo, I guess that Seat has realised that the fact that the model line consists, with the exception of the Ibiza/Cordoba, entirely of MPVs was failure and went to ask VW for some money for the development of a new more conventional family car. But Volkswagen said: "No, you've wasted enough money already, but why don't you take this nice old A4 we've got lying around here?"
The thing is that even though they've saved on the development costs, I assume the car will be still rather expensive to make, being an Audi. And since Seat are selling it a lot cheaper than Audi, I wonder whether they can actually make any profit on it.
It looks like Volkswagen just saw it as a convenient way of getting rid of old tooling and not having to dump more money into Seat before they finally offload it.

 

[Aston Martin]

I didn't expect the hate.

 

[pepitko]

I read that Audi shipped their whole old A4 production line to Spain, it took them 1,200 trucks and 8 weeks apparently.

It looks quite good, new-old A4 for the price of a used one. Although, personally I'd still rather go for an used Audi/BMW with a better engine and some more toys in it..

 

[vRS]

Yeah the current Passat hasn't got much to do with the A4 anymore, as the Passat has now got a transversely mounted engine, while the A4 carries on with the longitudinal layout. The Octavia is based on the Golf platform.

As for the Exeo, I guess that Seat has realised that the fact that the model line consists, with the exception of the Ibiza/Cordoba, entirely of MPVs was failure and went to ask VW for some money for the development of a new more conventional family car. But Volkswagen said: "No, you've wasted enough money already, but why don't you take this nice old A4 we've got lying around here?"
The thing is that even though they've saved on the development costs, I assume the car will be still rather expensive to make, being an Audi. And since Seat are selling it a lot cheaper than Audi, I wonder whether they can actually make any profit on it.
It looks like Volkswagen just saw it as a convenient way of getting rid of old tooling and not having to dump more money into Seat before they finally offload it.

Was going to say that myself. Emptying the parts bin. Still its a nice car and if its well kitted Seat should see a decent return on it, if they price it same range as a Passat/Superb then it could be a decent seller.