A powerful, performance driven Seat Leon Cupra super-hatch is set to be available in dealership stores by 2017.

And, when it does the car will prove its mettle by offering over 300 horsepower making it a great deal for buyers who love speed.

During their launches at the Los Angeles auto show, Seat revealed their facelifted Leon and the car is going to be a much better offering in their lineup than the Cupra 290. The new version is about to compete head on with the Volkswagen Golf R and probably use the same powertrain attached to an all-wheel drive system. With this launch, the brand now has a worthy competitor for the Golf R and the Focus RS from Ford.

Based on information revealed during the auto expo, the new Leon Cupra super-hatch is expected to be powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. It will make best use of the Haldex four-wheel drive technology designed to evenly spread the power generated to all wheels for a comfortable riding experience. The proposed engine will be mated to a six speed DSG dual clutch transmission mounted on a sports car body. It is to be heavily inspired by the Leon Cup race car with aggressive front fascia, styling and an overall appearance that showcases the 300 horsepower it houses within.

For a long time now, Leon has been a dedicated user of chassis with front-wheel drive. By shifting their focus to an all-wheel drive setup, the auto brand has confirmed that they are going to embrace change and go with the AWD setup for all future models. The horsepower is speculated at the moment but it is yet to be confirmed by the team. The powertrain is probably the same as the Ateca SUV but tweaked to deliver an increased level of performance.

Leon has planned to go with a digital cockpit system to offer a sophisticated experience for Leon Cupra owners. The system will be the i-Cockpit setup already being used in Audi cars and was originally developed by the Volkswagen group. It includes dual touchscreens to easily control media and other functionalities in the car. The automobile brand has plenty of models planned for 2017 launch. The year will also witness their Ibiza which was already spotted testing on the roads. At this pace, they have the potential to give a tough fight to Ford, Volkswagen and other cars in the segment. More specifications will be announced at a later date.