Although most of the attention at the Seat display at the Madrid Auto Show was drawn to the new Seat Ibiza (see it here), Seat also introduced the Seat Alhambra Ecomotive. The Alhambra is the badge-engineered version of the Volkswagen Sharan, which has a BlueMotion version as well. The Alhambra Ecomotive produces CO₂ emissions of 159g/km and the average fuel consumption of the new van is 6 l/100 km (38mpg U.S.) propelled by a 140hp 2.0L TDI engine with a diesel particulate filter (DPF) in the exhaust stream.

The new Ibiza, in the other hand, will be put on sale with three gasoline engines: 1.2-liter 70 HP, 1.4-liter 85 HP, 1.6-liter 105 HP and a1.9-liter diesel good for 105 HP and with a DPF as standard. The older models, including the Ecomotive version, will still be on sale for a while. Check out some live pics from Autoblog en Español here.

[Source: Seat and Autoblog en Español]

The Spanish Volkswagen subsidiary Seat has launched a new concept of a vehicle which, although it won't hit the showrooms, gives us cues of Seat's future design plans. The Bocanegra (literally "Blackmouth") is a sporty coupé that foreshadows what the upcoming Ibiza (to be replaced next year) and associated sedan (currently named Córdoba) are going to look like.

The concept is powered by a compact yet powerful twin turbo 1.4 TSI engine and a 7-speed DSG gearbox, which guarantees low CO₂ emissions while offering sport performance. Expect this engine combination to arrive in the Ibizas and Leones very soon, so Seat drivers can start taking advantage of some greener driving sooner rather than later. Full press release after the jump.

SEAT (a brand that belongs to Volkswagen) has announced the installation of photovoltaic panels on the roof of its Martorell (near Barcelona) factory in Spain. The company expects this move will save up to 11,700 tons of CO₂ from being released to the atmosphere. The panels have a power of 8.5 MW and are expected to produce 11.2 GWh per year.

The panels will be installed gradually. First, the corporate building and the vehicle storage yard will get them, but the plan is to extend them over the production lines, covering up to 206,000 m².

Not far away, in El Prat de Llobregat, is where Nissan installed solar panels as well. The Spanish government is currently giving subventions to big industries for such installations, where large surfaces are available.

[Source: SEAT (link is in Spanish)]

Spaniards will have what I think is a pleasant surprise in Seat's new 2008 car tariffs for Spain. Under the new car tax regulations, taxes on low-polluting cars are reduced but Spaniards will still pay for VAT, 16 percent, and local road tax. To take advantage of the low taxes, Seat has priced the new Ibiza Ecomotive quite nicely.

The Seat Ibiza Ecomotive, which promised to bring Europeans cheap access to low-polluting motoring, will be priced very close to the non-Ecomotive version. In its new price list for 2008, Seat is offering 3 Ibiza models that are exempted from Spain's tax: The 1.4 TDI 70 HP, the 1.4 TDI 80 HP and the Ecomotive. The only difference in the Ecomotive is the installation of low-rolling tires, minor aerodynamic tweaks and a Diesel Particulate Filter. With a price difference of just 835.75 EUR between the base models, the Ibiza Ecomotive seems to be quite a good deal for the Spanish market (although it's even better in places like the UK).

• 1.4 TDI 70CV REFERENCE (119 g of CO₂/km): 12.361,91 EUR
• 1.4 TDI 80CV REFERENCE (119 g of CO₂/km): 12.975,03 EUR
• 1.4 TDI 80 CV DPF ECOMOTIVE (99 g of CO₂/km): 13.810,78 EUR

Related:

• Seat Ibiza coming in April, not March and for £500 more
• Seat Ibiza Ecomotive deliveries start in March 2008, 99 g/km of CO₂
• SEAT announces green Ibiza Ecomotive

[Source: Seat (link is .pdf, in Spanish)]

Audi has announced that it has fully reached the EU's threshold of recyclability and reusability for new vehicles, something that will be mandatory from mid-2010 on. The "EU Directive 2005/64/EC" states that all vehicles should be 85 percent recyclable and 95 percent reusable. In the case of the Audi, the 10 percent difference is explained because some plastics can be used as fuel for energy generation. This follows Seat and Volkswagen's similar announcements and makes that warning of 3.65 billion tons of car scraps seem a little less ominous.

As with most German certifications, a TÜV office (in the city of Dienst) confirmed Audi's statements. The press release (which you will find after the jump) also explains how the recycling of a car must be considered from the earlier phases of a car design, answering questions as "how much steel is used" and "what type of plastics". The answers are quite detailed. For instance, 13.3 percent of an Audi A4 consists of light alloys such as aluminium, plastics account for 14.3 percent, glass for 2.2 percent and processed polymers for 1.7 percent.

European countries are currently deploying recycling centers which should be able to dismantle old cars and, of course, Germany is the leader in this field. The lessons learned at these centers will allow some car recyclers to ensure that virtually no part of a car will be thrown away after its lifecycle.

[Source: Audi]

Volkswagen Group's Spanish brand Seat will be debuting their newest entry into the World Touring Car Championship at this weekend's WTCC round in Anderstorp, Sweden. The new León will be the first diesel-powered car to compete in the series. Seat is running two TDI Leóns equipped with a 280hp engine derived from the 170hp 2.0L unit in the the production León FR.

For now only two works entries driven by Jordi Gené and Yvan Muller will run the diesel as they continue to develop the new power-plant. Once it's been proven reliable and competitive other teams will be able to get the TDI version. Seat's press release including the specs are after the jump.

[Source: SEAT]