SEAT Leon Verde plug-in hybrid shown

This is the SEAT Leon Verde, a plug-in hybrid prototype version of the firm’s latest Leon.

The car uses the familiar 120bhp 1.4-litre VW Group petrol engine, boosted by a 330Nm electric motor to give a total power output of 168bhp.

The Leon Verde can be driven in electric-only mode for 31 miles, and the standard range with a full battery and a full 40-litre tank of petrol is 507 miles.

According to SEAT, this means that the Leon Verde returns 176.6mpg and emits 36 g/km of CO2.

The plug-in hybrid also features a smartphone app, which allows the driver to connect to the car via a wireless network. The app allows the driver to view energy consumption, battery level, and estimated CO2 savings, as well as manage recharging.

The Leon Verde can be configured to charge only when demand on the electric grid is low, which would result in lower energy costs. The driver can select whether they want to use this function, or they can utilize a standard quick charge function instead.

While the Leon is similar in concept to the Audi A3 e-tron that arrives next year, the Verde won’t be built. Instead, it’s more the by-product of a four-year research project to facilitate the wider use of electric vehicles in SEAT’s home country of Spain.

Called Cenit Verde, the €34-million project was headed by SEAT with support from Spain’s Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.

SEAT claims that the venture “has become a benchmark project in Europe by virtue of being one of the first Public-Private Partnerships, and in recognition of the breadth of its research.”