SEAT Proto concept cars

Make	SEAT
years	1989 and 1990
class	Concept
Designer	Giorgetto Giugiaro

SEAT Proto is the name of three car prototype concepts that were presented by the Spanish brand SEAT in 1989 and 1990.

History

These three prototypes (called Proto T, TL and C) were designed in Italdesign Giugiaro ,from the designer company Giorgetto Giugiaro .

Both Proto T and Proto TL are part of the same project from 1989 and 1990, as they are a set of prototypes that show the advance and the evolution of one another as 5-door liftback.

The SEAT Proto T was presented in 1989 at the Frankfurt Motor Show . The body was a saloon type, painted entirely in silver gray. In the back doors came the name of Proto T and had all the moons tinted in black, in addition to including a new logo proposal for SEAT with a new, more futuristic S. More specifically, this prototype was a non - rolling model that was innovative for the brand as it would the image of SEAT 90s to the following year was presented the SEAT Proto TL, a definitive evolution of the Proto T.

The SEAT Proto TL was presented at the Geneva Motor Show held in March 1990. The Proto TL was a more advanced evolution of the Proto T. Aesthetically it was the same silver gray color with the name Proto TL on the rear doors. The most noticeable changes were the bumpers. They had included large black moldings, different hubcaps and the crystals already showed inside, even from the panoramic glass ceiling with variable opacity according to the lighting conditions, because technologically it included novelties such as a magnetic data probe that was placed at the height of the fog lights, which received data on traffic, weather conditions, because in addition to these advances the prototype, developed great quality and luxury with its leather upholstery to match the light gray cabin.

These 2 prototypes were a design advance of the S3 project, approved by the Volkswagen group for the SEAT brand in 1986, made by Giorgetto Giugiaro and developed in Italdesign Giugiaro ( Turin ), to develop a new saloon-type model.

Although from the beginning the name that the definitive model would use was known, it was played with the presentation of the prototypes by naming them with the initials and as a progress was made a consonant letter was added. First with Proto T, then Proto TL and a third prototype was expected as an advance to the final version called Proto TLD, as it was the code name of the model that would be developed in the S3 project.

The SEAT proto TLD would remain as a presentation mockup for SEAT by Italdesign, already named deciphering the key as Proto ToLeDo, (with the consonant letters in uppercase highlighting TLD and in lowercase the vocal letters that were missing to know the name of the model), for it was almost definitive model missing some final touches giving rise to the model SEAT Toledo .The first generation of the SEAT Toledo was commercialized from 1991. In addition, these prototypes would also serve as inspiration for the second generation of the SEAT Toledo, marketed as of 1998, with more rounded lines that reminded a lot of the Proto T and TL.

The seat proto C was the third prototype of SEAT who used the name Proto. It was presented at the Paris Motor Show in 1990 with the SEAT Proto TL. Unlike this, it was a different concept; a mix between an MPV and a two volume 3-door Coupé with a very futuristic line. It incorporated a panoramic roof from which a spoiler arose, the front had a sloping fall with rounded double headlights, the model had a gray body with black moldings on both bumpers and hubcaps that formed the SEAT logo.

The SEAT Proto C, as a prototype, advances the future lines that the next SEAT Ibiza of the second generation would have, which in turn derived from the SEAT Córdoba of the first generation, which were marketed since 1993. Of the futuristic lines that The prototype had what was used for the development of Ibiza was the back, because the front wanted to do something more similar to Toledo but differentiated from it.

In SEAT's plans, it was intended to elevate the category to Ibiza being positioned within its usual segment but with a somewhat larger image since it would grow somewhat in size. Within this strategy, there were other plans, to expand the Ibiza range, the press speculated that the name of the model having the letter C, as was the case with Proto T or Proto TL, which anticipated the name Toledo, a new name could emerge that would replace the Ibiza or accompany it, at first there was much talk that this could be Cádiz but finally the letter C, referred to an extension of the range and this letter made reference to the future SEAT Córdoba, which was the sedan version from Ibiza.