New SEAT Leon goes in to production

The new SEAT Leon (2013) – revealed at the Paris Motor Show – has started production in Spain ahead of first deliveries in March 2013. SEAT has invested heavily in the Martorell plant in recent years – a shining light of success in a sea of Spanish manufacturing despair – with a £650 million investment in new facilities and R&D making Martorell a modern and efficient facility for the new Leon as well as the Ibiza, Altea and Exeo (and the Audi Q3). Not only has the investment in Martorell secured the jobs of 1600 Spanish workers (and four times as many in the supply chain), it promise more jobs too if the Leon turns out to be as appealing as it looks.

Fiat to launch Panda Cross off-roader at Geneva

Fiat The Fiat Panda Cross will make its public debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show next month. Based on the Fiat Panda 4x4, the Cross is pumped up with bigger tyres, extra body cladding, raised suspension and myriad technologies to help the little off-roader keep moving when the going gets tough. New off-road technology for the 2014 Fiat Panda Cross As standard, the Fiat Panda Cross comes with a ‘torque-on-demand’ transmission that uses the car’s electronic locking differential (ELD) and advanced electronic stability control (ESC) to send torque to the appropriate axle when slip is detected.

Jeep previews Wrangler and Cherokee Easter Jeep Safari concepts

Jeep has just released the first teaser images of the Cherokee Dakar and Wrangler Mojo concepts, prior to their debut at the 2014 Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah. The Wrangler Mojo features an orange and black exterior with a redesigned front bumper, a blacked-out front fascia and high profile off-road wheels that are just the thing for traveling around the rock formations of Moab. No details just yet on how Jeep has tricked out the interior of this one, though we expect it'll carry on the orange exterior and black design theme.