Budget cuts, longer holidays, shorter working weeks or fewer shifts on the factory rota – car manufacturers are quickly adapting to the continuing decline in sales of new vehicles, writes motoring editor Sharon Walters.

But is it going to be all recession-laden doom and gloom in 2009 for the motoring industry?

Far from it. Infact, Britain will be seeing a healthy clutch of all-new models arriving between now and late spring, and there’s certainly no slowdown in the drive to produce frugal, climate-friendly new cars.

One new car that should brighten up the forecourts is the all-new Exeo which arrives in showrooms in April priced from £17,740.

This latest newcomer from Seat in the upper-medium saloon market is an elegant five-seat saloon, and holds the promise of parent company Volkswagen’s reputation for quality and strong levels of standard equipment.

Sporting character

What Seat injects into the car is the firm’s strong tradition of sporting character, which will be offered in S, SE, Sport and range-topping SE Lux trims, with an initial choice of three engines.

The powerplants cover a pair of 2.0-litre turbo-diesels with varying bhp outputs, and a potent 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol unit. They all get six-speed manual gearboxes as standard, tip-top acceleration and decent mpg returns.

Equipment highlights include USB connectivity for MP3 players, cruise control, wheel-mounted audio controls, dual-zone climate control, and alloy wheels.

Front fog lamps, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, electric windows all round, and colour-coded door handles and mirrors are also standard on every Exeo.

Moving up from the starter S trim will produce such luxuries as rear parking sensors, automatic lights and wipers, and auto-dimming rear view mirror, sports suspension, sports seats and black leather upholstery, depending upon version.