What's that then?

That is the SEAT Leon Cross Sport show car - not quite a concept, not quite a production car. Clearly, it's the Leon Cross Sport SUV, SEAT's first proper crossover, which will go on sale and go toe-to-toe with the Nissan Qashqai next year. But instead of a proper five-door body shell, this one's using the slinkier two-door 'coupé' body from the Leon SC. Riding 41mm higher than a regular Leon, it's a proper 4x4 too with Haldex four-wheel drive and a powerful turbocharged engine. Very powerful in fact - this one's the 2.0-litre turbo petrol from the SEAT Leon Cupra 290, with an extra 10hp taking it to a full 300hp. SEAT quotes a 0-62mph time of just 4.9 seconds.

Inside and out, there's lots of bright orange surfaces (inspired by the warm sun in Barcelona even though, cough, cough, whisper it, the car will actually be built by Skoda in the Czech Republic) and there's the usual battery of connectivity setups, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, MirrorLink and a big touchscreen.

Underneath you'll find the same MQB platform that also lurks under almost all compact Volkswagen Group products these days and which underpins the new Tiguan, also launched at the show in Frankfurt.

And the final production version? Expect to see that very shortly, probably before Christmas. Will SEAT make an actual version for sale of this 300hp coupé? Probably not. "The SEAT Leon family is not only incredibly successful, but also exceptionally multi-faceted. With the Leon Cross Sport, we are testing out a new idea - the performance of the Leon Cupra with the many possibilities offered by an all-road vehicle, says Jürgen Stackmann, Chairman of the Executive Committee, SEAT, S.A. "The Leon Cross Sport is therefore a perfect match for the brand and for a young, multi-faceted lifestyle. And, as a compact two-door, this crossover fits well into the urban jungle."

Neil Briscoe - 14 Sep 2015