Mii joins Up! and Citigo

In an unsurprising move, Seat has followed Škoda by unveiling its take on the Volkswagen Up! city car. The Spanish version has been named the Mii (after the Nintendo Wii and 3DS characters?) and, despite being virtually identical to both the Up! and the Škoda Citigo, Seat is trying to pitch it as the sporty and youthful choice.

Seat Mii (2012) Front
2012 Seat Mii. Scroll down for more images.

The Mii’s exterior styling is almost indistinguishable from that of the Citigo, with both cars sharing the same glasshouse and rear end. It’s only really at the front where the Seat is different, thanks to a unique design for the headlights, grille and bumper, plus a slightly re-profiled bonnet. Overall, it’s a neat if fairly anonymous look, but both the Volkswagen and Škoda are more striking.

On the inside things are fairly austere, which is to be expected in the city car segment. The Mii will be available with standard, Reference or Style trim levels, with Style getting ‘luxuries’ such as central locking and electric windows.

Additionally, two equipment packages will be on the options list. Chic includes a chrome trim pack, while Sport consists of stiffer suspension and tinted glass. Both also feature alloy wheels and a leather-covered steering wheel.

As with the Up! and Citigo, power comes from a 1.0 litre, three-cylinder petrol engine that’s available with either 59 bhp (44 kW / 60 PS) or 73 bhp (55 kW / 75 PS). Go for the Ecomotive version, and CO2 emissions are just 97 g/km - not spectacular for such a small, low-powered car, but usefully below the 100 g/km threshold nevertheless.

Sales of the Seat Mii are due to begin in Spain during November, with market launches for the rest of Europe to follow in Spring 2012. Next year will also see the debut of a five-door version.

With three such similar models, it will be interesting to see which of the Mii, Up! and Citigo proves to be the best seller. Doubtless relative prices will be a crucial factor, but so will brand loyalty / badge snobbery.

Seat Mii (2012) DashboardSeat Mii (2012) Front Side

Seat Mii (2012) Rear SideSeat Mii (2012) Side

Related posts:
Volkswagen Up! revealed
Škoda reveals the Citigo

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