SEAT Goes Upscale with Tarraco SUV

Volkswagen AG’s low-price SEAT brand aims to retain customers as they become more affluent with its most expensive model ever: the new flagship Tarraco SUV.

The Tarraco, whose name is inspired by the city of Tarragona in Spain’s Catalonia region, will be offered in two- and three-row versions when it debuts early next year. The car will be publicly unveiled in Spain on Oct. 2.

SEAT sales through the first eight months of 2018 surged 22% to 383,900 units. The new model is part of the brand’s four-year, €3.3 billion ($3.9 billion) investment plan that began in 2015.

The new crossover will ride on VW’s MQB-A, a long-wheelbase platform that also carries VW’s Tiguan Allspace crossover. The new model will join two other SUV/crossovers, the Arona and Ateca, in SEAT’s lineup.

The well-equipped Tarraco will feature all-LED exterior and interior lighting, a digital instrument panel and 8-inch center touch-control screen with optional gesture-control functionality. Standard safety equipment includes lane-keeping assist, collision warning, pedestrian detection, pre-crash assist, rollover detection and automatic emergency calling.

Among the vehicle’s options will be adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection, traffic-sign recognition and pre-crash/emergency assist.

SEAT plans to offer the Tarraco in Europe with a choice among three 4-cylinder engines: two gasoline (148 hp and 190 hp) and a diesel (in 148 hp and 187 hp variants). Drivetrain options pair a 148-hp engine with a 6-speed manual and front drive or a 187-hp engine with dual-clutch gearbox and four-wheel-drive.

Designed at SEAT’s development center in Barcelona, the Tarraco will be assembled at VW’s main factory complex in Wolfsburg, Germany.