Spain's Seat – a member of the Volkswagen Group – is charging into an electric future with the launch of an all-electric version of its Mii city car, which it says not only lays the groundwork for more EVs to come but signals the end of the combustion engine Mii in July.
The Mii electric city car is to be Seat's first production all-electric, and follows the announcements of the Minimó and el-Born electrics earlier this year. Plug-in hybrid versions of the Tarraco and Leon, together with high performance Cupra Formentor and Cupra Leon plug-in hybrids, are also due to join the company's range. Seat is aiming the electric Mii at both private owners and fleet operators.
"The market is changing, and electrification is expanding at an unprecedented rate," said the company's Luca de Meo. "In Europe, the electric vehicle market grew by 46 percent in the first 4 months of the year, moving forward we expect electrified vehicles to play an important role within our range. The Mii electric is the start of that journey, and at the same time brings to the market an affordable electric car."
The five door car's 3,557 x 1,645 x 1,478 mm (140 x 64.7 x 58.1 in) dimensions and 2,420 mm (95.2 in) wheelbase make it a good fit for city life. Its electric motor produces 61 kW (81 hp) and 212 Nm (156 lb.ft) of torque, which zips the Mii from standstill to 50 km/h (0-31 mph) in 3.9 seconds on its way to a top speed of 130 km/h (80.7 mph). And the 36.8 kWh Li-ion battery is reported good for 260 km (161.5 mi) of WLTP all-electric range, with support for 40 kW fast charging that will get the battery to 80 percent capacity in an hour.
The outside of the vehicle is much the same as the ICE Mii before it, but with lettering and stickers identifying the car as electric. It features 16-inch alloy wheels and LED daytime running lights, and comes in two trim levels.
Inside, there's a brand new dash, ambient lighting and heated sport seats. A 251 liter trunk capacity can be bumped up to 923 liters with the rear seats folded down. The safety suite includes lane assist and traffic sign recognition technologies as standard. The Mii electric is also the first Seat car to gain the company's Connect remote access and management technology, allowing for app-based review of driving data, parking position, vehicle status and remote aircon control.
Pricing will be announced later in the year, though Seat is dropping strong hints that the EV will sit firmly at the affordable end of the market when it goes up for pre-sale in September. Key markets include Germany, Netherlands, Norway, France, Spain, Austria, UK, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Finland and Sweden.
Source: Seat
