The Seat Altea was extremely popular in Denmark. But perhaps things would have been different if Seat had stuck to the name of the concept car from 2000. Salsa…
The Seat Salsa concept car from the 2000 Geneva Motor Show is about to turn 25. Designed by Walter De Silva, it had 250 horsepower from a VR6 engine, and it would foreshadow all future cars from the brand for a very long time.
The Seat Salsa concept car is approaching an anniversary. In 2025 it will be 25 years since it was first shown. It was at the Geneva Motor Show in 2000. The designer was Walter De Silva. The car gave a hint of future Seat models.
The Seat Salsa was presented just a few months after another novelty. Namely the new Leon, which was supposed to open the doors to the compact car market for Seat even further.
Walter De Silva joined Seat from Alfa Romeo. He was the new head of design at the Spanish brand. The Seat Salsa was his first major project.
The concept car showed a new design language for Seat. The rounded lines were central. According to the Spaniards, the design language was a sign of 'something dynamic'.
The lines also became a hallmark of Seat's design in the years that followed. The style from the Salsa found its way into production cars, particularly influencing the second generation of the Seat Leon.
The Salsa's design and the VR6 engine
The compact Seat Altea was also affected. The Altea later came in several variants. These were the Altea XL and the Altea XL Freetrack. They were more family-oriented crossovers.
The Seat Salsa was a three-door hatchback. It measured 4.15 meters in length. The weight was stated at 1,570 kg.
Under the hood was a 2.8-liter VR6 engine. The engine is familiar from other cars in the Volkswagen Group. It produced 250 horsepower in the Salsa concept.
Did you know that the VW Group built cars with VR6 engines right up until December last year? Didn't you? Read more about the last factory-new car with VR6 engines right here.
Seat stated that the Salsa had a top speed of 250 km/h and an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.5 seconds.
The Seat Salsa underwent various developments after its premiere. At the Paris Motor Show in 2000, Seat showed a new version. It was called the Salsa Emoción.
Salsa Emoción and the racing car as a concept
The Salsa Emoción had crossover-inspired details. That is, the street car. It built on the original Salsa design.
Two years later, in 2002, another version was released. It was shown at the Madrid Motor Show. That version was even closer to a possible production model.
Seat also investigated a racing version in those years. It was called the Racer. It gave a foretaste of the later Seat Leon WTCC.
The Seat Leon WTCC achieved success in the World Touring Car Championship. So it wasn't just to burn money that the model took so long to make.
Today, both the original Salsa and the Salsa Emoción still exist. They are kept in Nave A-122, part of the Seat Históricos collection. The collection is located at the Zona Franca facility in Barcelona.
At Boosted.dk you can read a lot more about Seat. We have articles about everything from older models to the latest Cupra versions and a director's firing disguised as a 'wish for new challenges'.
