Frankfurt Motor Show 2005 - Seat

What's the star of the stand?
The Altea FR people carrier, which uses the most powerful diesel Seat has ever unleashed.

Seat hopes to have the 168bhp MPV on sale in the UK by the end of next year. We reckon it's likely to cost around £18,500.

The power of the 2.0-litre engine is enough to take the five-seat MPV to 62mph in just 8.2sec and on to a top speed of 129mph.

They say
'It's just a prototype at this stage.'

We say
Beside the FR stickers, this is the car that will arrive in showrooms.

Anything else?
More powerful diesels debut in other Seat ranges at Frankfurt. A 1.4-litre rated at 69bhp or 79bhp is found in the Fabia, to replace the existing 1.9-litre units, while the Alhambra's 129bhp 1.9-litre is dropped in favour of a 139bhp 2.0-litre. Both are expected before the end of the year.

Any gossip?
There's no set timetable yet, but expect to see the new 168bhp diesel appearing in plenty of other models. Seat is part of a big group of marques, so the engine can be used in any number of Audis, Skodas or Volkswagens.