SEAT has given its baby Mii a dose of attitude. Pictures and details of a sporty FR version have been released ahead of the car's public debut at this week’s Worthersee tuning event in Austria.
This FR-badged version is mechanically identical to the standard Mii, but adds an array of styling tweaks inside and out. And this concept car could pave the way for a production car.
Finished in Tornado red with black trim on the wheel arches, boot and side sills, the show car also gets red accents on the 16-inch wheels. Inside the red and black theme continues with sports seats and a prominant FR logo on the dash.
Producting marketing boss Ulf Eberhardt explained the concept: “The Mii is a [VW] group product so it does not have 100 per cent SEAT DNA. This is one way of giving it that DNA.
“We will do FR, but not Cupra. It will be sporty, not all-out powerful. We have the technology and the power at our disposal within the group to do more – but that would mean adding a 3,000 Euro package on to a 10,000 Euro car.
Eberhardt is also keen to sustain interest in the Mii by regularly creating new editions, with one a year planned. The first is pencilled in for mid-2013.
Eberhardt also has very clear ideas about how the rest of the line-up should take shape. “SEATs look good, but they need to look more like each other. If they all look different, you get lost in the market, which is a problem for a smaller brand like ours,” he added.
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What's the point of this car - is it advertisement for a FR trim line or will there be a FR model, with more power and handling upgrades?
According to the previous articles about the Up/Mii/Citigo cars, there isn't enough room under the bonnet for any other VW group engine, other than the 3-cylinder currently available.
Seat have made the FR badge a trim level, rather than a performance model. It's a real shame becuase now you will get fast sporty looking cars that might have dog slow engines underneath!
Seat (and also VW with the new R-Line trim on the Polo) have done this so that people can get the look they want but with an engine they can afford to buy and insure.
Not sure if I like this route, it's mis-leading and a bit like false advertising. Sales will be the measure if people like this idea or not.
The 3cyl 1.0 engine can be tuned to 125bhp.
With other bits they say it would be a 13,000 Euro car, and for some reason they think that is too much? The VW Lupo GTI could be optioned to over 22,000 Euro back in 2001- 2005. That was a city car smaller than the new Mii/Up/Citogo.
They should also look at the price of the Fiat 500 Abarth SS. Which is about 22,000 Euros.
Are Seat really that depressed with the city car?
Surely not, I think there will be a high power version in all VAG models next year.
It's amazing how much extra manufacturers wish to charge for some different coloured bits of plastic. Does a red dash insert really cost that much more than black/grey. Does contrasting panels in seats cost hugely more than single coloured ones. Extra technology and performance is worth money, bits of cloth and plastic are not.
Please,please,please.
Don't stick the FR logo on the dashboard.Its naff!!
it would be and injustice if this FR version was not fitted with
and uprated engine ...100 bhp would be a starting point
the FR means formula racer .so come on SEAT provvide
the power to go with the good looks on the outside