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SEAT Alhambra
[[File:Seat Alhambra (22)|frameless|upright=1.25|alt=]]
Manufacturer SEAT
Parent company Volkswagen Group
Production 1996-present
Assembly AutoEuropa, Palmela, Portugal
Class large MPV
Body style(s) 5-door 7-seat MPV
Layout Front engine
Related Volkswagen Sharan

The SEAT Alhambra is a large 7-seat MPV by the Volkswagen Group, sold under the SEAT brand. The Alhambra already spans two generations since 1996, and both of them are built at the AutoEuropa plant in Palmela, Portugal. It takes its name from the Alhambra of Granada, one of the most famous monuments in Spain.

Mk1 (Typ 7M, 1996-2010)[]

SEAT Alhambra Mk1
Seat Alhambra Facelift 20090706 front
Seat Alhambra Facelift 20090706 rear
Production 1996—2010
Assembly AutoEuropa, Palmela, Portugal
Layout Front engine,
front-wheel drive /
four-wheel drive
Engine(s)

Petrol engines:
1.8L I4 20V Turbo
2.0L I4
2.8L VR6 24V
Diesel engines:

1.9L I4 TDI
2.0L I4 TDI
Transmission(s) 6-speed manual
5-speed Tiptronic automatic
Wheelbase 2,835 mm (111.6 in)
Length 4,634 mm (182.4 in)
Width 1,810 mm (71.3 in)
Height 1,762 mm (69.4 in)
Curb weight 1,599–1,709 kg (3,530–3,770 lb)
Fuel capacity 70 L (15.4 imp gal/18.5 US gal)/
Related Volkswagen Sharan Mk1
Ford Galaxy Mk1
SEAT Alhambra

1st Generation Alhambra (1996-2000)

Giraffa camelopardalis -Safaripark Beekse Bergen-11July2009

Rear of 1st Generation Alhambra with Giraffes

The first generation of the SEAT Alhambra was presented as a prototype at the 1995 Geneva Salon International de l'Auto, to be followed next year by the official premier of the model launched at the same motor show still in Geneva.[1] It has been on sale from 1996 up to 2010 and stayed largely unchanged until a major restyling in 2000, when it received a restyling to reflect the new image of the marque, but remaining faithful to the original form jointly designed by SEAT, Volkswagen and Ford, under a technology sharing agreement between the Volkswagen Group and Ford, after the two companies found they were losing market share from the first generation of MPVs such as the Toyota Previa and Mitsubishi Space Wagon. It seats up to seven people — the 5 rear seats being all movable or even removable leaving a flat-load floor — something that no other vehicle of the SEAT range could offer at that time. The boot capacity thus varies depending on the seating, from 256L with the full format of 7 seats, to 852L with 5 seats or even 2610L with only 2 seats. It shares most of its components and design with the VW Sharan Mk1 and Ford Galaxy Mk1, however the Alhambra tends to have more options fitted for the same cost as its two other counterparts. All three models were built on the same production line at the joint venture AutoEuropa plant in Palmela, Portugal, and were practically the same model but with different engine options and interiors, leading to the three vehicles being referred to collectively as the "Sharalaxy" or even "Shalambraxy". Ford have now concluded their collaboration, and production of the Galaxy Mk III and the S-Max (a seven-seater based on the same platform as the Mondeo Mk IV) are built in Genk, Belgium, alongside the Mondeo. The AutoEuropa plant has been outfitted for the production of the VW Scirocco III.

A more environmentally friendly version, the SEAT Alhambra Ecomotive, was also under offer fitted with the 2.0 TDI 140 PS (103 kW) engine producing 159 g/km CO2 emissions.[2]

Awards[]

  • 'Monovolume do Ano' award in 1997, in Portugal [3]

Engines[]

  • Diesel
    • 1.9L I4 66 kW (90 PS) TDI
    • 1.9L I4 81 kW (110 PS) TDI
    • 1.9L I4 85 kW (116 PS) TDI
    • 1.9L I4 96 kW (131 PS) TDI
    • 1.9L I4 110 kW (150 PS) TDI
    • 2.0L I4 103 kW (140 PS) TDI

Mk2 (Typ 7N, 2010-)[]

SEAT Alhambra Mk2
Seat Alhambra (22)
Production 2010-present
Assembly AutoEuropa, Palmela, Portugal
Class large MPV
Layout Front engine
Platform Volkswagen Group A5 PQ46
Engine(s)

Petrol engines:
1.4L 110 kW (148 hp) TSI
2.0L 147 kW (197 hp) TSI
Diesel engines:
2.0L 103 kW (138 hp) TDI

2.0L 125 kW (168 hp) TDI
Transmission(s) manual
DSG automatic
Length 4,850 mm (190.9 in)
Related Volkswagen Sharan Mk2

The second generation of the SEAT Alhambra was announced on 19 April 2010. The replacement Alhambra went on sale in October 2010.[4] At 4.85 metres, the new car is 22 cm longer and 9 cm wider than the outgoing model. Like the new Sharan, access to the middle row of seats is via sliding doors.[5]

In February 2011 SEAT presented the Alhambra 4WD version featuring a permanent all wheel drive layout combined with the 2.0 TDI 103 kW diesel engine and a manual six-speed gearbox.[6]

Safety[]

In 2010, the SEAT Alhambra Mk2 was evaluated for its safety performance under the Euro NCAP assessment scheme and it achieved a 5-star overall rating [7] :

Test Score Points
Overall: 5/5 starsStar fullStar fullStar fullStar full N/A
Adult occupant: 96% 34
Child occupant: 80% 39
Pedestrian: 46% 16
Safety assist: 71% 5

Awards[]

  • 'Auto Trophy' 2010 for the import van category, by the German car magazine Autozeitung [8]
  • ‘Best MPV’ in the import category in 2011, by the readers of the German car magazine Auto motor und sport[9]
  • 'MPV car of the Year' award in 2011, by the British magazine WhatCar? [10]
  • ‘MPV of the Year’ award in 2011, by panel members of the Portuguese Car of the Year – Crystal Steering Wheel Trophy[11]

Engines[]

  • Petrol
    • 1.4L 110 kW (148 hp) TSI
    • 2.0L 147 kW (197 hp) TSI
  • Diesel
    • 2.0L 103 kW (138 hp) TDI
    • 2.0L 125 kW (168 hp) TDI

Sales and production figures[]

Since its launch in 1996, more than 250,000 SEAT Alhambra cars have been produced and sold in its two generations up to the present.[12]

In the year 2009, the total annual retail sales number of SEAT Alhambra cars was 5,923 vehicles,[13] while the annual production of SEAT Alhambra vehicles came up to 6,215 units.

The total production per year of SEAT Alhambra cars, manufactured in SEAT and other Volkswagen group's plants, is shown in the following table :

model 1998
[14]
1999
[14]
2000
[15]
2001
[16]
2002
[17]
2003
[18]
2004
[19]
2005
[20]
2006
[21]
2007
[22]
2008
[23]
2009
[24]
2010
[25]
SEAT Alhambra
Total annual production
21,300 27,440 23,924 26,524 26,308 23,693 21,580 14,902 14,352 14,242 10,282 6,215 10,023

References[]

Smallwikipedialogo This page uses some content from Wikipedia. The original article was at SEAT Alhambra. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Tractor & Construction Plant Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons by Attribution License and/or GNU Free Documentation License. Please check page history for when the original article was copied to Wikia


  1. SEAT Hoy http://media.seat.com/en/company/368-seat-sa-en-cifras-2005-2009.html
  2. SEAT Alhambra Ecomotive http://www.seat.co.uk/generator/su/com/alhambra/site/versions/ecomotive/main.html
  3. Palmares SEAT http://www.seat.pt/pt/generator/su/pt/SEAT/site/campanhas/DesportivoDoAno/main,lang=pt.html
  4. New SEAT models for 2010
  5. New SEAT Alhambra press release
  6. Even more versatile with all-wheel drive http://media.seat.com/en/seat-news/746-seat-presentara-el-nuevo-alhambra-4-en-el-salon-de-ginebra.html?g2_language=en_GB
  7. "SEAT Alhambra Mk2 Euro Ncap 5-star rating". Euroncap.com. Retrieved on 2010-11-24.
  8. AUTO TROPHY 2010 – DIE SIEGER ALLER KLASSEN http://www.autozeitung.de/leseraktionen/auto-trophy-2010-die-sieger-aller-klassen/VANS-IMPORTSIEGER-SEAT/n390609/22
  9. The SEAT Alhambra wins in best imported MPV category at annual auto motor und sport awards http://media.seat.com/en/seat-news/741-el-seat-alhambra-mejor-monovolumen-importado-segun-los-lectores-alemanes.html
  10. Car of the Year awards 2011 - MPV winner http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/what-car-car-of-the-year-awards-2011/mpv-winner/254786
  11. The SEAT Alhambra voted MPV of the Year in Portugal http://media.seat.com/en/seat-news/748-el-seat-alhambra-monovolumen-del-ano-en-portugal-.html
  12. Seat prevé caídas mensuales de ventas por encima del 30% hasta final de año http://www.elpais.com/articulo/economia/Seat/preve/caidas/mensuales/ventas/encima/final/ano/elpepueco/20100906elpepueco_13/Tes
  13. SEAT Annual report 2009 http://media.seat.com/info2010/annualreport/pantallacompleta.html
  14. 14.0 14.1 "Volkswagen AG Annual Report 1999". Volkswagen AG (2010-09-13). Retrieved on 2010-09-13.
  15. Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2000 http://www.volkswagenag.com/vwag/vwcorp/info_center/en/publications/2001/03/Annual_Report_2000.-bin.acq/qual-BinaryStorageItem.Single.File/VW_GB_2000_e.pdf
  16. Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2001 http://www.volkswagenag.com/vwag/vwcorp/info_center/en/publications/2002/03/annual_report_2001.-bin.acq/qual-BinaryStorageItem.Single.File/20020312_GB_2001_e.pdf
  17. Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2002 http://www.volkswagenag.com/vwag/vwcorp/info_center/en/publications/2003/03/annual_report_2002.-bin.acq/qual-BinaryStorageItem.Single.File/vw_gb_2002_en.pdf
  18. Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2003 http://www.volkswagenag.com/vwag/vwcorp/info_center/en/publications/2004/03/annual_report_2003.-bin.acq/qual-BinaryStorageItem.Single.File/20040309_gb2003_e.pdf
  19. Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2004 http://www.volkswagenag.com/vwag/vwcorp/info_center/en/publications/2005/03/annual_report_2004.-bin.acq/qual-BinaryStorageItem.Single.File/Gbericht_2004_en.pdf
  20. Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2005 http://www.volkswagenag.com/vwag/vwcorp/info_center/en/publications/2006/03/Volkswagen_AG__Annual_Report_2005.-bin.acq/qual-BinaryStorageItem.Single.File/gesch%C3%A4ftsbericht_2005_english.pdf
  21. Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2006 http://www.volkswagenag.com/vwag/vwcorp/info_center/en/publications/2007/03/Geschaeftsbericht_2006.-bin.acq/qual-BinaryStorageItem.Single.File/Annual_Report_2006_e.pdf
  22. Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2007 http://www.volkswagenag.com/vwag/vwcorp/info_center/en/publications/2008/03/Annual_Report_2007.-bin.acq/qual-BinaryStorageItem.Single.File/VW_AG_GB_2007_en.pdf
  23. Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2008 http://www.volkswagenag.com/vwag/vwcorp/info_center/en/publications/2009/03/GB_2008.-bin.acq/qual-BinaryStorageItem.Single.File/Y_2008_e.pdf
  24. Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2009 http://www.volkswagenag.com/vwag/vwcorp/info_center/en/publications/2010/03/Annual_Report_2009.-bin.acq/qual-BinaryStorageItem.Single.File/Y_2009_e.pdf
  25. Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2010 http://www.volkswagenag.com/vwag/vwcorp/info_center/en/publications/2011/03/Volkswagen_AG_Geschaeftsbericht_2010.-bin.acq/qual-BinaryStorageItem.Single.File/GB_2010_e.pdf

External links[]


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