SEAT
Encyclopedia
SEAT, S.A. (ˈseɪ.æt , ˈse.at) is a Spanish
automobile manufacturer
founded on May 9, 1950 by the Instituto Nacional de Industria
(INI), a state-owned industrial holding company.
It is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of the German
Volkswagen Group
, as a member of the now-defunct Audi Brand Group, together with Audi
and Lamborghini
, and marketed as a car maker with a youthful sporty profile. Within the Volkswagen Group and under the Audi Brand Group, the SEAT brand itself has been developed as a group with subsidiary companies (SEAT Group) and 'SEAT, S.A.' as the parent company.
The headquarters of SEAT, S.A. are located at SEAT's industrial complex in Martorell
near Barcelona
, Spain
. By 2000 annual production peaked at over 500,000 units; in total up to 2006, over 16 million cars have been produced including more than 6 million from the Martorell plant, with three-quarters of the annual production being exported to over seventy countries worldwide.
The name SEAT, previously standing for the acronym Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo (Spanish Touring Car Company, in English), in 1990 was changed to SEAT, S.A..
Its headquarters and main manufacturing facilities are located in Martorell
, an industrial town located some 30 kilometres northwest of Barcelona
, with a production capacity of around 500,000 units per annum. The plant was opened by King Juan Carlos of Spain
on February 22, 1993, and replaced SEAT's former assembly plant by the coast in Barcelona's freeport zone (Zona Franca)
. A rail connection between SEAT's Martorell and Zona Franca complexes facilitates vehicle and parts transportation between the two sites.
The industrial complex in Martorell also hosts the facilities of SEAT Sport
, SEAT's Technical Center, Research and Development Center (R&D), Design Center, Prototypes Centre of Development, SEAT Service Center (also incorporating the After-Sales Service division, the Customer Services division and the Catalunya Motor dealership), as well as the Genuine Parts Centre for SEAT, Volkswagen, Audi and Škoda brands.
The development and assembly facilities are some of the newest and most modern and efficient within the Volkswagen Group
, giving the SEAT Martorell site the ability to produce high-quality cars not only for its own brand but also for other Volkswagen Group brands, such as Volkswagen
and Audi
. For example, the development and design of several Audi models (e.g. the Audi A1
, the Audi A3
Sportback, the Audi Q5
etc.) and also several Audi development projects took place there, and from 2011 onwards the Martorell plant manufactures the Audi Q3
small SUV.
The Barcelona Zona Franca site includes the SEAT Training Centre, the Zona Franca Press Shop factory, producing stamped body parts, and the Barcelona Gearbox del Prat plant, producing gearboxes not only for SEAT but also for other Volkswagen Group
marques (VW, Audi
and Škoda
); the latter plant was awarded the Volkswagen Excellence Award in 2009 by the Volkswagen Group for high-quality production process and product.
Another plant owned directly by SEAT from 1975 was the Landaben plant in Pamplona
, but on December 1993 its ownership was transferred to the Volkswagen Group subsidiary "Volkswagen-Audi-Espana, S.A.", and the site today is producing Volkswagen cars in Spain. However, SEAT's Martorell site still provides support to Volkswagen's operations in the Pamplona plant when necessary, as it did after a serious fire in the paint shop in the Landaben VW plant in April 2007.
Factories of the Volkswagen Group currently producing SEAT models also include the Bratislava
site in Slovakia
and the Palmela
AutoEuropa
factory in Portugal
, while in the past other plants were involved too in producing SEAT models, such as the factories in Germany (Wolfsburg) and Belgium.
Future plans include a new Research and development (R&D) centre in the city of Barcelona
in the field of environmental and energy efficiency for the entire Volkswagen Group and also the launch of a project on the city's urban mobility, as well as a SEAT museum in the Zona Franca's 'Nave A122' site hosting all production and prototype models ever presented by SEAT together with some special or limited edition vehicles with historical value for the brand and the automotive history of Spain.
Among SEAT's subsidiaries, the SEAT Deutschland GmbH subsidiary company is based in Mörfelden-Walldorf, Germany
, and apart from its commercial activities has the further responsibility of operating SEAT's electronic platform, the SEAT IT Services Network. In Wolfsburg
, Germany, in the middle of a lake inside the Autostadt
, the Volkswagen Group's corporate theme park, is SEAT's thematic pavilion, one of the largest pavilions in the park.
Today, the company launches its own models of cars in different markets in more than 70 countries worldwide in accordance with the development policies of the Volkswagen Group
, with almost three-quarters of its annual production representing exports for the markets out of Spain. Its core market remains Europe
, while the most successful market outside of Europe in terms of sales for SEAT is currently Mexico
, where the company has dealer presence in 27 Mexican states.
In Europe the brand is launched in almost 40 countries across Northern
, Western
, Southern
, Eastern Europe
and Russia
. SEAT today also sells its cars in 11 countries in Asia
, mostly in the Middle East
and the Arabian peninsula
, in 16 countries in Americas
including North America
, the Caribbean Sea
, Central America
and South America
, and finally Africa
, mainly in North Africa
. Some of its cars have been sold outside Europe
, branded as Volkswagen
s, such as the SEAT Ibiza
hatchback, known in South Africa
as the Volkswagen Polo Playa
, the SEAT Inca
panel van as the Volkswagen Caddy
, or the SEAT Córdoba
, also known as the Volkswagen Polo Classic
.
In the years to come SEAT plans expanding in even more markets, the most crucial of them all being China
. While in the past SEAT held talks with the Chinese car maker FAW in order to form an alliance for the local production of SEAT models in China-located plants, the present project to enter the Chinese market comprises in 2012 first to start selling its range with cars produced in SEAT's Spain-located Martorell plant, followed later in a second phase by the local assembly of SEAT models in China.
SEAT's further expansion plans in more markets outside of Europe have yet to be realised. In the past the company was considering a possible launch in the United States although this move has never been carried out. Rumours also of a SEAT model being sold as a Volkswagen in Canada
and the United States
to supplement the Volkswagen's brand lineup there have occasionally circulated, but have always been unsubstantiated, and ultimately proven to be false.
In the past other market areas where the brand was also present for a short time were Australia
and New Zealand
(from 1995 to 1999) as well as South Africa
(from June 2006 to the end of 2008), however the brand was withdrawn from those markets due to Volkswagen's decision citing that current and expected circumstances made the ongoing importation of a niche brand non-viable.
From 2007 SEAT is presented in Russian Federation.
in 1939 the situation deteriorated, as car demand collapsed, not only due to the greatly reduced purchasing power of Spaniards caused by the immense devastation of the civil war, but also the multinational subsidiaries either ceased operations, departed the country and disappeared from the scene or were severely stricken during the warfare and therefore weakened they were struggling to continue business.
Into that groundfield flourished an opportunity and demand for the nation's volume car maker: SEAT dates its origins back to June 22, 1940 when the private Spanish bank 'Banco Urquijo
' with the support of its group of industries (Hispano-Suiza
, Basconia, Duro-Felguera, S.E. de Construcción Naval, Euskalduna, S.E. de Construcciones Metálicas, Fundiciones
Bolueta, Echevarría etc.) founded SEAT's predecessor company, the 'Sociedad Ibérica de Automóviles de Turismo' (S.I.A.T.) with an ambitious goal, that of being established as Spain's national car maker. The initial Banco Urquijo's project was aiming at running the S.I.A.T. motor company as a fully private enterprise, but soon after the foundation in 1941 of the interventionist state holding company Instituto Nacional de Industria
(INI) the whole project would be taken over and carried out under the INI's leadership following a decision taken on January 3, 1942. The vision the new conglomerate carried on for the upcoming national car brand was not the one of another licensee car maker just assembling in Spain car models from some foreign manufacturer, it was instead the one serving the much needed autarky
keeping the whole manufacturing process in Spain but most important being able gradually to produce its own specific models with locally made parts. In acknowledgement of the country's lack of extended previous expertise in automobile developing procedures, the intention was to invite a recognized foreign partner automobile maker who would contribute technically and with its own models in the start — giving to him in exchange cash, shares, bonds and royalties — but who would over time step aside as soon as the Spanish national car maker would become more and more independent and eventually capable to produce its own range of vehicles. With the rest of Europe though having entered the World War II
, the project was consequently delayed but not abandoned due to its strategic importance.
SEAT under its current name was founded on May 9, 1950 under the denomination 'Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo, S.A.' (S.E.A.T.) by the Instituto Nacional de Industria (INI) with a starting capital of 600 million pesetas
— equivalent today of almost 3.6 million Euros — in the form of 600 thousand shares of one thousand Pesetas each, and in a time when the country was in need of remodelling the fundamental structures in its national economy, just after the end of the World War II. The birth of SEAT came almost a year and a half after the Spanish government and six Spanish banks ( 'Banco Urquijo', 'Banco Español de Crédito (Banesto)
', 'Banco de Bilbao
', 'Banco de Vizcaya
', 'Banco Hispano-Americano' and 'Banco Central' ) had signed on October 26, 1948 an alliance contract with the Italian car manufacturer Fiat
so as to form a partnership with a foreign ally in order to bring to life Spain's major car manufacturer. Among all the bidders the German Volkswagen and the Italian Fiat were the predominant ones, however the Italian firm Fiat proved to be the alleged ally for several reasons: first, Fiat was a car manufacturer already known in Spain for its built quantities aptitude relevant to that prospected for SEAT and also had attributed a successful outcome of collaboration in the endeavor of the French Simca
; second, the experience from the semi-protected car market in Italy could easily be transferred to the one in Spain, both of which had, at the time, customers of low incomes and limited markets for cars. Fiat's experience in the very similar market conditions of Italy made it the best choice for a partner in Spain. Fiat had been granted a monopoly in Italy, it dominated the market for vehicles under 12 horsepower; also, the relative economic isolation of war damaged Italy at the end of the World War II and the fact that the Italian car maker was looking to opportunities outside Italy in the post World War II (the short-lived 'Fiat Hispania' plant in Guadalajara
, having been destroyed by the Spanish Civil War) — meant that the negotiations with the Italian manufacturer could prosper more easily in favour of Spanish interests than with those from other countries. In 1947 the Banco Urquijo group had revived the S.I.A.T. project and next year the talks ended up successfully in the signing of the three-part contract, with the understanding that the INI would hold the 51% controlling interest as well as a ruling act in the new company preserving to stay focused on the approach of an enterprise of 'national interest', Banco Urquijo group although a minority share holder looking forward in assuming a leading role in the future as soon as the company would be left to privates and the newcomer partner car maker Fiat been offered a 7% share in exchange of its technical assistance. This way SEAT not only would be able to reinitiate the country's economy as the largest employer in the 1960s and 1970s but also contribute to the industrialisation of a then still largely rural society.
Even though there were initial thoughts of locating in less developed inland cities like Valladolid
and Burgos
, it was decided that the company's plant would be constructed in the duty-free zone area of the Port of Barcelona (Barcelona Zona Franca), which would offer better access to the Mediterranean shipping and the rest of Europe through rail and road connections across the nearby French border. Barcelona was after all a city with an industrial history that had built up expertise in complex industrial enterprises since the latter part of the 19th century; it was also the host location of many early historical Spanish car makers, like Hispano-Suiza
and Elizalde
, and subsidiaries of foreign car makers, like 'Ford Motor Ibérica' and 'General Motors Peninsular'. Being an enterprise of vital interest for the national economy as well as an investment opportunity for Fiat's expansion plans through the Iberian peninsula, SEAT benefitted from state tariff and tax exemptions and technical assistance from its foreign partner Fiat. The company’s first president was José Ortiz Echagüe, an aeronautical engineer and pilot who came from the Spanish aircraft builder 'Construcciones Aeronáuticas (CASA)', where he had held the position of CEO.
model that came off the production line on November 13, 1953 with licence plate 'B-87.223'. In the following few months the plant's production output and workforce would significally increase together with the implementation of locally made components in the production process, in order to limit imports from one part and from another part to push to the development of the almost non-existent Spanish supplier industry and meet SEAT's assigned key role as the national car maker in restoring the Spanish economy of the post World War II Spain. Already from 1954 the use of Spanish-made parts had raised up to a 93% proportion out of total and next year on May 5, 1955 the factory was officially opened.
Until the time SEAT had the technical maturity and expertise to present its first self-developed model the SEAT 1200 Sport
in 1975, in its beginnings the company had to manufacture either rebadged or restyled models borrowed from the range of its Italian partner Fiat, or even redeveloped them according to the needs of its own range. However the first example of a SEAT exclusive derivative would arrive already on September 1963 with the launch of the SEAT 800, a car which was developed in-house by SEAT with no equivalent model in Fiat's range on the basis of the SEAT 600 as a stretched version with 4-doors.
In 1957 SEAT founded the SEAT Training Centre in the greater Zona Franca plant area, an institution covering the training of qualified personnel and serving the needs of the automobile industry in specialized technical human resources. In that same year was launched the historical SEAT 600
, which proved to be the crucial car that literally motorized Spain, being the first car for many Spanish families and becoming a symbol of the Spanish Miracle
.
As the growth of the annual production was hitting one record after another due to the heavy demand, the economies of scale achieved would permit cutting costs and prices, subsequently renew demand and boost sales together with profits for SEAT. On June 29, 1964, the brand opened its new headquarters in Madrid
, which hosted the firm's sole — up to 1972 — general administration offices. In Barcelona was found only SEAT's plant manager until 1973, a year when SEAT settled in Catalonia another general direction.
In 1967, fourteen years after producing cars for the domestic market, SEAT's success would be signalised by a dominant position in Spain ahead of its major competitors, i.e. 'FASA-Renault
', 'Citroën-Hispania', Authi
and Barreiros
, making SEAT the Spain's largest auto-maker in sales numbers and a wholly localized production. In that year an agreement between Fiat and the Spanish Ministry of Industry was reached so as to put an end in the restrictions over exporting SEAT cars out of Spain, a term previewed in the original licencee contract with Fiat since 1948. In exchange to that, Fiat would increase its holding in the company from 7% to 36%, and at the same time the share held by the government holding agency
would be reduced from a controlling 51% to 32%. The remaining 32% was taken by the six major Spanish banks, decreased from their previous 42% share split equally in 7% parts owned by every single one of them. Although not a majority owner, Fiat now was seen to control the business: the deal also included various undertakings by Fiat to help in the growth of SEAT, and with the development of a new model (possibly the SEAT 133
). On December 6, 1967, SEAT also founded its own customer financing company 'Financiera SEAT, S.A.' (Fiseat).
To be able to produce independently its own research projects, SEAT on November 16, 1970 came in accordance with Fiat so as to start building separate infrastructures aiming at developing new technologies. As the brand arranged in 1972 some provisional facilities in the site of the future Technical Center in Martorell and in 1973 began construction works, this goal would only take five years till 1975 to be reached with the completion of the first phase in the construction of SEAT's Technical Center, a facility designed by the Catalan architect Josep Antoni Coderch
.
During the same period, the manufacturer continued to dominate the Spanish auto market, producing 282,698 cars — more than 58% of the Spanish production total — in 1971 despite disruption that year caused by strikes and a serious flood at the coastally sited Barcelona plant. However, with just 81 cars per thousand people, Spanish car sales were seen as ripe for further growth, and SEAT faced the prospect of increased competition with other major manufacturers contemplating establishment or expansion of 'local' production facilities in the still heavily protected Spanish car market.
In 1973, SEAT and 'Citroën-Hispania' jointly contributed equal shares in founding the Vigo
-located factory of 'Industrias Mecánicas de Galicia, SA' (Indugasa) producing constant-velocity joint
s, essential components used in front-wheel drive
cars i.e. in a transmission layout the use of which was becoming more and more common at the time. This plant — which in the next years would supply parts not only to SEAT and 'Citroën-Hispania' but also to 'Ford España' — was meant to be transferred later in 1986 to the multinational company GKN
.
On May 1975, after a request from the Spanish state authorities to ensure the rescue of the jobs for the workers in the Authi
owned factories, SEAT moved on talks with the parent company British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC) of the bankrupt Authi in order to take over the brand's operations in Spain leaving aside GM
's interest in it, something which would otherwise open the path for the American automaker to enter the Spanish market thus jeopardizing the relationship with Fiat. The talks ended soon on July 1975, when an agreement was announced between the two parts under which SEAT would acquire from BLMC the Authi brand along with its assets for 1,250 million pesetas. The imposed acquisition of the Landaben plant would also result in giving up SEAT's plans to build a new facility in Saragossa. Although the Authi supplier factory in Manresa was transferred to a company called Cometsa for 150 million pesetas, the Landaben plant in Pamplona remained under SEAT's ownership to continue production on February 1976 only of SEAT cars this time.
The 1970s were a decade of rising prosperity in Spain, which is reflected in the announcement in August 1976 that SEAT would commence local production of the Lancia Beta
. Three years later Beta production by SEAT indeed commenced at the company's recently acquired Pamplona plant, though only the Coupe and HPE lift-back versions were included. The Spanish cars were fitted with a simplified suspension system and smaller engines than their Italian counterparts in order to qualify for a lower car tax rate.
In 1977 SEAT's leasing company Liseat was founded and in 1979 the Gearbox del Prat facility was set up as a specialised plant in the production of gearboxes, gear mechanisms and differentials in El Prat del Llobregat near Barcelona.
since 1977.
The end of the co-operation with the Italian firm was marked by a change in SEAT's logo in 1982, and the first car under the new SEAT logo without Fiat involvement appeared in 1982, called the SEAT Ronda
styled by Rayton Fissore in collaboration with the Technical Centre in Martorell. The launch of this model though sparked a lawsuit from Fiat against SEAT, as the former claimed the car was too similar to a car in Fiat's range, the Fiat Ritmo
. In defence of SEAT, the then president of SEAT, Juan Miguel Antoñanzas, showed a Ronda to the press with all the parts different from the Fiat Ritmo painted in bright yellow, to highlight the differences. The case was eventually taken to the Arbitration Chamber of Paris which in 1983 declared that differences between both cars were important enough so as not to consider the Ronda as a rebadged Ritmo, ending the dispute in favour of SEAT. Rumour at the time had it that Fiat was angry because the Ronda restyling was in fact too close to their own planned restyling for the Fiat Ritmo, which they had to scrap.
— who had just assumed responsibility as the chairman of the Volkswagenwerk AG (Volkswagen Group
) — looked into the opportunity of approaching SEAT after the withdrawal of Fiat in 1981, in his plan to expand the Volkswagen Group's operations out of Germany and turning the German group into a global force. The Spanish authorities had though already started talks with other foreign firms such as Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi
in order to choose a strong partner for SEAT. However it was Hahn's interest that would soon result in an industrial and commercial cooperation as well as a licence agreement with SEAT on September 30, 1982 for the production in Spain of the Volkswagen Passat
-Santana and Polo-Derby models in SEAT's Zona Franca and Landaben factories respectively — having thus as an effect on April 29, 1983 the ending of the SEAT Panda's production at the Landaben assembly lines due to need of adapting this plant to the production of the VW Polo — and eventually a partnership agreement was signed on June 16, 1983 between the two parts being represented by the president of SEAT Juan Miguel Antoñanzas and Carl Hahn on behalf of the Volkswagenwerk AG.
On June 18, 1986 after a purchase of SEAT's 51% majority stake followed later that year on December 23, 1986 by the increase of its share up to 75%, the Volkswagen Group
became the major shareholder
of SEAT, and as of December 1990 the 99,99% owner
of the company thus making SEAT the first non-German subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group. Fulfilling Hahn's expectations, SEAT not only made a profit two years after Volkswagen bought a majority of its stock but also provided a low-cost manufacturing outlet for other VW group models — contributing up to 15.2% of the VW group's total output in 1989 — as well as an opportunity to enter the unexploited by that time Spanish market under the SEAT, VW and Audi brand names.
The gathering of the brand's main infrastructures in the greater Martorell plant area has taken place in a long process beginning back in 1975 with the opening of the SEAT Technical centre but it was only in 1989 when a decision was taken to start building a new main assembly facility next to the Technical Centre in Martorell replacing the old one in Zona Franca. In that same year began the translocation of SEAT's Madrid admiistration offices to Barcelona with the sale of two of the brand's assets in La Castellana
to be completed in 1991 with the definitive installation of SEAT's headquarters in Catalonia
region.
The centralisation of the management, design, research and production facilities localized around the plant site was meant to serve the aim of optimising the development in the process of making new models. On February 22, 1993 King Juan Carlos of Spain and the newly elected since January 1, 1993 Chairman of the Volkswagen Group Dr. Ferdinand Piëch
inaugurated the Martorell plant, one of the most modern and efficient car plants in Europe using the 'Just in time' process with its suppliers’ site located only 2.5 km away. The first cars that rolled out of the Martorell plant production lines were the SEAT Ibiza Mk2
and the SEAT Córdoba Mk1
.
The original planning in October 1993 to close the emblematic Zona Franca assembly plant as soon as the production of vehicles would be transferred to the more efficient Martorell plant was overturned after an arrangement between the Spanish authorities and the Volkswagen Group, according to which the Zona Franca site would continue its operations but would be gradually turned into a site with an auxiliary role in the production process (foundry, press-shop etc.). Meanwhile on December 23, 1993, the 'Fábrica Navarra de Automóviles, S.A.' was founded as a new company to hold the management of the Landaben factory separating any ties to SEAT in production matters, with its shares being transferred to Volkswagen on June 1994 over which however SEAT would regain ownership four years later in 1998.
In 1994 the Design Center in Sitges
— the Spanish coastal town south of Barcelona — and the suppliers' park in Zona Franca were also inaugurated, and in winter of the same year SEAT's financing and leasing companies — Fiseat and Liseat — were sold to 'Volkswagen Financial Services AG'.
The first time a SEAT model was manufactured out of Spain was in 1996, with the production of the SEAT Alhambra Mk1
in the Palmela
AutoEuropa
plant in Portugal
. Also on January 1997 it was the first time when a non-Spanish descendant, the Belgian Pierre-Alain de Smedt, was ever appointed SEAT's chairman.
On April 7, 1998 the Zona Franca plant marked the end in the production life cycle of the Marbella
model, signalising an historical moment for SEAT with the end of vehicle production in SEAT's oldest factory opened in 1953; ever since the Zona Franca plant produces components and parts to be assembled in other locations.
In March 1999 at the Geneva Motor Show, SEAT presented a modern stylised logo, more rounded compared to the last one and with the use of the silver colour on a red background — instead of the previous blue — symbolising respectively the rational and the emotional. The 'auto emoción' slogan was presented next year in September 2000 reflecting the brand's new youthful and sporty corporate identity, while SEAT Sport
apart from its motorsport activities would undertake the responsibility of developing SEAT's high-performance vehicles.
Next year on July 1, 2000 Dr. Bernd Peter Pischetsrieder
, the former Chief Executive Officer
of BMW
, was appointed to head SEAT. In the spring of 2002 as Pischetsrieder was commissioned to chair the entire Volkswagen Group, he gave way to his German compatriot Andreas Schleef on March 7, 2002.
From 2002 up to 2007 SEAT formed part of the Audi Brand Group, the Volkswagen Group's automotive sub-division, consisted of Audi, SEAT and Lamborghini, that was focused on more sporty values, with the marque's product vehicles and performance being under the higher responsibility of the Audi brand.
In 2006 the new SEAT corporate head office was opened in Martorell and the Martorell SEAT Design Centre superseded the Volkswagen Group Design Centre Europe at Sitges
— which previously hosted the design facility jointly owned by SEAT, Volkswagen and Audi — as on February 23 of the same year an agreement over the transfer of the installations of the latter to the City of Sitges was closed, with the Martorell's Design Centre official opening on the other hand eventually taking place on December 30, 2007.
On January 12, 2007, there was the inauguration of the building of the SEAT Service Centre next to the southern entrance of the Martorell factory, the department focusing on technical support, after-sales and marketing purposes and also covering the feedback and the relationship of the brand with the customers and its worldwide network. On January 2007 began also operation the SEAT Prototypes Centre of Development located in the heart of the Martorell industrial complex, a facility inaugurated on July 16 of the same year, bringing together activities related to the virtual and physical preproduction process of new models (like prototyping, modeling, pilot product development and series analysis) thus shortening development times for prototypes and pre-production vehicles as well as saving costs with the use of modern technologies like virtual simulation.
was founded as a separate motorsport division and especially since the Volkswagen Group takeover in 1986, SEAT has been increasing even more its presence in the motorsport world, mainly down to VW's plan on focusing the SEAT brand as 'sporty' in order to appeal particularly to the younger generation of drivers. The result of this effort has been rewarded through SEAT's most prestigious titles in FIA championships, three conquests with the SEAT Ibiza Kit-Car in the FIA 2L World Rally Championship (WRC)
(1996, 1997, 1998) and two times with the SEAT León in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC)
(2008, 2009).
(WRC) was back in the 1977 season when SEAT took part with its 'SEAT 1430/124D Especial 1800' race car, and already in its debut rallying event at the Montecarlo Rally the SEAT team finished in the third and fourth place with the official 1430-1800 cars being driven by Antonio Zanini and Salvador Cañellas. In the recent years the consignment was burdened on the small SEAT Ibiza
, a 1.6L normally aspirated front-wheel drive
car with its roots in the Volkswagen Polo
. The Ibiza allowed the company to further evolve its rallying experience, and was officially engaged in some European national championships. The years went by until a 2L version of the Ibiza was homologated
as a kit-car, and extra wide tracks, larger wheels, brakes, etc., were fitted to it as the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
(FIA) kit-car regulations allow. With these attributes, the car succeeded three times the 2L World Champion ('96, '97, '98), proving its maker had accumulated enough experience, and budgets, to take a chance at the reign category, the World Rally Car
class of rallying cars.
SEATs three conquests of the FIA 2L WRC title, and the sport's popularity in Spain
, probably convinced Volkswagen Group
management to go further and allow the SEAT Sport
department a chance to reach its goal in the top class WRC category. This situation came to an end in September 2000, when the company's German upper management revoked its decision forcing SEAT Sport to retire from the World Rally Championship.
SEATs project to build a WRC-spec car was officially announced during the 1997 San Remo rally. It was in 1998 that the first evolution of the 'SEAT Córdoba
WRC' car was presented at the Porto Motor Show and then first enrolled by the company to compete at the highest level of WRC racing. The Córdoba was based on the family saloon of the same name but was, naturally, a WRC class car equipped with a 4-cylinder
turbocharged
petrol engine
, permanent four-wheel drive
, and active differentials involved in its transmission. The 'Córdoba WRC' made its debut at the 1998 Rally of Finland
, while a further development on the race car was incarnated on the 'SEAT Córdoba WRC E2' car which was presented at the Barcelona Motor Show in 1999. However, the short wheelbase
and high-mounted engine (compared to its rivals) worked against the Córdoba, and results weren't top competing. Despite hiring ex-WRC champion Didier Auriol
, and a new evolution
of the car i.e. the 'SEAT Córdoba WRC E3', SEAT pulled out of international rallying at the end of 2000.
Cupra R, the SEAT León Supercopa
.
In 2004, SEAT with Ray Mallock Ltd.
(RML) entered the British Touring Car Championship
, running two SEAT Toledo
Cupra for former-BTCC Champion Jason Plato
, and 2003 León UK Champion, Rob Huff
. In 2005, Huff left to join Chevrolet
(run by RML in the World Touring Car Championship
(WTCC)), and he was replaced by 2004 Leon Champion James Pickford
, and Luke Hines
as SEAT expanded to three cars, now run by Northern South. 2006 saw the Toledo replaced by the new León
, and Darren Turner
joined the team with James Thompson
when his WTCC commitments allowed. 2007 was SEAT's best year in BTCC, as Plato was locked in a season-long battle with Fabrizio Giovanardi
, which came down to the final race of the season, but just missed out on the title.
Since 2005, SEAT has also competed in the World Touring Car Championship
, with its first best season being 2007, where a failed water pump
robbed Yvan Muller
of certain victory at the final meeting in Macau
. SEAT became the first team to run a TDI
in the WTCC and this gave them a dominant 2008 World Touring Car Championship season
, with Yvan Muller
wining the drivers championship. French racing team Oreca
cooperates with the WTCC team. SEAT's UK team followed suit in the 2008 BTCC. The BTCC team was sponsored by Holiday Inn
.
In 2007, SEAT – with the León Mk2 TDI at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben
in Germany
– became the first manufacturer to win a round of the World Touring Car Championship
(WTCC) series in a diesel car, only a month after announcing it will enter the FIA
World Touring Car Championship with the León TDI. SEAT's success with the León TDI was continued, and resulted in winning consecutively 2008 World Touring Car Championship
and 2009 World Touring Car Championship
both titles (for drivers' as well as for manufacturers').
On 11 September 2008 SEAT UK announced that it was to withdraw from all motor sport activity in the UK at the end of the season. The SEAT Cupra Championship and the SEAT BTCC campaign are to end at Brands Hatch on 21 September. BTCC drivers Jason Plato and Darren Turner have been left without drives for 2009. But Plato will drive for Silverline Chevrolet
.
At the opening of the 2009 WTCC, SEAT placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in both races in Brazil. At the second meeting of the WTCC (in Mexico), the SEAT team placed 1st, 4th, 6th, 7th and 11th in the first race. The second race they placed 1st, 3rd, 7th, and 8th. While SEAT may have withdrawn from the BTCC, they are showing impressive results in the WTCC.
race car, which was produced in limited series on customer demand addressed to expertised individuals and racing teams willing to take part in race events.
The Cupra GT was chosen as a GT race car from racing teams, like the Sunred Engineering (SunRED)
team, making its debut in 2004 in the Spanish GT Championship
, and took part in several Grand tourer
circuits not only in Spain but also run in tracks abroad like those of Monza
and Magny-Cours
.
(e.g. Arosa
, Ibiza
, Córdoba
, León
, Toledo
, Altea
, Alhambra
, Málaga
, Marbella
, Ronda
etc.).
However there have been several cases where the denomination for a specific model did not derive directly from the Spanish heritage of the marque. As an example given making this exception, the name for the SEAT Exeo
— the most recently added model to the brand's range — was influenced from the Latin word ‘exire’ which means 'to go beyond'.
Following the marque's trend in production models, in many cases of concept cars too the names adopted were those either of Hispanic dances (e.g. Tango
, Bolero
, Salsa
) or abbreviations still related to production models (e.g. IBZ for Ibiza, IBE for 'Ibiza Eléctrico', TL for Toledo etc.) or even names reminiscent of SEAT's sporting roots in the past (e.g. Fórmula
, Cupra GT
) .
Moreover in the recent years, there have been special versions in the production models' specific ranges carrying attachments such as SC (standing for SportCoupé ) or ST (for SportTourer ) discriminating relatively the 3-door and the estate versions from the standard 4/5-door ones, while the terms Cupra (for Cup Racing ) and FR (for Fórmula Racing ) have been used for the top-engine hardcore cars in the range, signalising SEAT's positioning as a sporty brand involved in the racetracks.
As a reminder from the past also comes the iconic 'Bocanegra' name, meaning 'black mouth' in Spanish, which accompanies the Ibiza model and has its origins in the SEAT 1200 Sport
, the original 'SEAT Bocanegra' due to its black painted fascia in the front.
Almost every model in SEAT's range has an 'Ecomotive' derivative version, which in comparison to the standard version has a more eco-friendly tuning.
Reduction of weight, low-resistance tyres, new aerodynamics, tweaks in the suspension, as well as changes made to the engine's electronic management software with an additional implementation of a maintenance-free Diesel Particle Filter (DPF) for the diesel engines, also updates in the gearbox and the gear ratios with a gearshift indicator in the dash panel reminding when it is the proper time to change gears, combined with an engine 'Start/Stop system' and an 'Energy Recuperation system' are some of the modifications adopted in the Ecomotive range in order to cut down both fuel consumption and emissions. The result is a range with some of the cleanest models featuring an improvement not only in gas and particles emissions but also in fuel economy, without big compromise in the vehicle's dynamic performance or practicality; for example the SEAT Ibiza
Ecomotive 1.4 TDI has emissions coming up at 98 g/km and still it comes even faster from 0 to 100 km/h than the standard version featuring a 5-door body and air-conditioning , while the SEAT León
Ecomotive's emissions are among the lowest in its segment too and raise up to 99 g/km.
Up to the present, the Ecomotive range has been renowned in many occasions.
In 2008, the Ibiza
Ecomotive has been declared on top of the Verkehrs-Club Deutschland’s 2008/2009 list in the “environmentally beneficial vehicle” category and in the 10th Eco Tour not only it has won in the small diesel class but also proved to be the overall winner of all categories. In that specific year the SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive was also awarded with the 'Ecobest 2008' award by the Autobest organisation and the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag named it the 'most economic car of its class in the world'.
The year 2009 has been the one when once more the Ibiza Ecomotive was nominated for the 'Green Steering wheel' award in Switzerland, and has set two consecutive times a new world record on fuel saving with a single tank, certified by the IPMC (International Police Motor Corporation) : the first when the Austrian Gerhard Plattner drove from Martorell (Spain) to Göttingen (Germany) with an average fuel consumption of 2.9 l/100 km and the second time in his route from Cieszyn (Poland) to Frankfurt (Germany) having achieved the world record in fuel consumption of 2,34 /100 km (or 100 mpg U.S.) covering a distance of 1,910 km on a single tank.
'MultiFuel' range
The MultiFuel range consists in the introduction of the flexible-fuel vehicle
bio-ethanol technology in selected SEAT models — i.e., the SEAT León MultiFuel
, the SEAT Altea MultiFuel
and the SEAT Altea XL MultiFuel — with the implementation of the 1.6 MPI MultiFuel E85 motor, capable of producing exactly the same horsepower (102 bhp) just like the relevant pure petrol version of the engine.
In the year 2009, the total annual retail sales number of SEAT cars was 336,683 vehicles, while the annual production of vehicles under the SEAT brand came up to 307,502 units (301,287 made in SEAT's Martorell plant and 6,215 in other Volkswagen group's factories).
The total production per year of SEAT cars, manufactured in SEAT and other Volkswagen group's plants, is shown in the following table (not comprising cars of other Volkswagen group's brands, produced in SEAT-owned facilities) :
In particular some examples, concerning the rebadges deriving from SEAT models and being carried out under other Volkswagen Group's brands, are the SEAT Ibiza Mk2
which has been rebadged under the VW brand as the VW Polo Playa, the SEAT Córdoba Mk1
rebadged as the VW Polo Classic
— FAW-VW City-Golf — VW Derby, the SEAT Arosa
as the VW Lupo, and the SEAT Inca
as the VW Caddy.
Further rebadges have come under non Volkswagen Group brand ranges and some notable examples are the SEAT Ibiza Mk1
which has been rebadged as the Nanjing Yuejin Eagle NJ6400-Unique NJ6400-Soyat NJ7150-Soyat Unique NJ1020, and the SEAT Toledo Mk1
as the Chery A11-Fulwin-Fengyun-Windcloud
— Chery A15-A168-Amulet-Cowin-Qiyun-Flagcloud
— Vortex Corda
.
On the other hand, several SEAT models have derived as rebadges coming from other Volkswagen Group's brands such as the SEAT Alhambra Mk1 and Mk2
respectively from the VW Sharan Mk1 and Mk2 (the first generation resulting after a joint venture of the Volkswagen Group together with Ford
) and the SEAT Exeo
from the Audi A4 B7
.
some significant examples among those being Abt Sportsline
, Je Design
, MTM (Motoren Technik Mayer), Abarth
, Emelba, Annibal etc.
on October 2010,
SEAT scheduling comprises the following future models in the near future:
There is still thinking of a compact MPV
car successor to the Altea, and a SUV model on the basis of the SEAT IBX concept car.
Since the early 1990s, SEAT has developed and presented several prototypes with either full electric or hybrid powertrain, including the SEAT Toledo Mk1 electric model (1992), the SEAT Ibiza Mk2 electric car (1993), the SEAT Inca electric van (1995), the SEAT León Mk2 Twin drive (2009), the SEAT IBE concept (2010) and the SEAT IBX concept SUV (2011) hybrid cars.
‘SEAT al Sol’ project
The ‘SEAT al Sol’ project consists in the integration of use of solar power through a system of photovoltaic panels generating electricity in SEAT's factory in Martorell. The project is going to be carried through in collaboration with GA-Solar from the beginnings of 2010, covering a factory area of 320,000 m2 with a system of more than 10 MW of photovoltaic panels. This installation is expected to produce more than 13 million kwh of electricity annually, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by over 6,200 tonnes of per year.
‘Cenit verde’ project
The Cenit VERDE initiative is a research project backed by the CENIT (the National Strategic Consortia for Technical Research) programme and supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, in which SEAT plays a key role. Aiming at developing technologies, components and infrastructure for hybrid and electrically powered cars in Spain, this programme brings together 16 technology companies (including Siemens, Endesa, Iberdrola, REE, Cegasa, Ficosa, Circuitor, Cobra or Lear) and 16 universities and research establishments under the CTM coordination (Centre Tecnològic in Manresa) and the support of the CDTI (Centre for Industrial Technological Development, an organization pertaining to the Ministry of Science and Innovation).
In January 2010, the Cenit Verde association made its opening meeting at SEAT's Technical Centre in Martorell.
As part of its contribution SEAT comes in with its own 'Verde' pre-project, including the technology implemented in the plug-in hybrid SEAT León Twin drive
as well as in the SEAT IBE concept
zero emissions electric vehicle presented in the 2010 Geneva motor show.
‘SEAT Autometro’ project
The ‘SEAT Autometro’ project comprises the construction and management of a rail link service between the SEAT's Martorell complex and the Port of Barcelona, in the aim of transport of vehicles and components. Autometro is the joint-venture company which operates the rail, having Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC)
local rail company, COMSA Rail Transport
and Pecovasa as its shareholders. The company was founded in November 2005 almost five months after an initial agreement was signed between the Catalan government (Generalitat
), the Barcelona Port Authority and SEAT. Due to this project, a branch connecting the Martorell plant with the FGC 'Llobregat-Anoia' main rail line
had to be constructed, as well as further adaptations to the transport network and the host infrastructures in the Port of Barcelona had to be made. The budget for the project comes up to 6.8 million euro, while SEAT on its part also assumes the operational transport costs.
The use of this rail link since January 18, 2008, instead of road transport, has helped not only in terms of cost effectiveness and road safety but also in the reduction of both road congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.
Over the whole 'Autometro' project awards have been given for the best logistics idea at the 2007 International Logistics Fair (SIL) and specifically to SEAT as the 2008 Distinguished loader by the Loaders’ Association of the Port of Barcelona.
and a strong supporter to artists, like Shakira
, Armin van Buuren, David Guetta
etc.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
automobile manufacturer
Automotive industry
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
founded on May 9, 1950 by the Instituto Nacional de Industria
Instituto Nacional de Industria
'Instituto Nacional de Industria' , literally National Institute of Industry, was a Spanish state-owned financing and industrial holding company, currently succeeded by the Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales' .-History:...
(INI), a state-owned industrial holding company.
It is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automobile manufacturing group. , Volkswagen was ranked as the world’s third largest motor vehicle manufacturer and Europe's largest....
, as a member of the now-defunct Audi Brand Group, together with Audi
Audi
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....
and Lamborghini
Lamborghini
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini , is an Italian car manufacturer. The company was founded by manufacturing magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963, with the objective of producing a refined grand touring car to compete with established offerings from marques like...
, and marketed as a car maker with a youthful sporty profile. Within the Volkswagen Group and under the Audi Brand Group, the SEAT brand itself has been developed as a group with subsidiary companies (SEAT Group) and 'SEAT, S.A.' as the parent company.
The headquarters of SEAT, S.A. are located at SEAT's industrial complex in Martorell
Martorell
Martorell is a town near Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain, primarily known for its medieval Devil's bridge.It has three railway stations - one on the RENFE line from Manresa to Sant Vicenç de Calders called "Martorell", and three on the FGC line from Barcelona to Manresa called "Martorell-Vila",...
near Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. By 2000 annual production peaked at over 500,000 units; in total up to 2006, over 16 million cars have been produced including more than 6 million from the Martorell plant, with three-quarters of the annual production being exported to over seventy countries worldwide.
The name SEAT, previously standing for the acronym Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo (Spanish Touring Car Company, in English), in 1990 was changed to SEAT, S.A..
Facilities
SEAT today is the only major Spanish car manufacturer with the ability and the infrastructure to develop its own cars in-house.Its headquarters and main manufacturing facilities are located in Martorell
Martorell
Martorell is a town near Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain, primarily known for its medieval Devil's bridge.It has three railway stations - one on the RENFE line from Manresa to Sant Vicenç de Calders called "Martorell", and three on the FGC line from Barcelona to Manresa called "Martorell-Vila",...
, an industrial town located some 30 kilometres northwest of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, with a production capacity of around 500,000 units per annum. The plant was opened by King Juan Carlos of Spain
Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I |Italy]]) is the reigning King of Spain.On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of General Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated king according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. Spain had no monarch for 38 years in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the...
on February 22, 1993, and replaced SEAT's former assembly plant by the coast in Barcelona's freeport zone (Zona Franca)
Barcelona Free Port
The Port of Barcelona has a 2000-year history and great contemporary commercial importance. It is Catalonia's largest port, vying with Tarragona, and Europe's ninth largest container port, with a trade volume of 2.57 million TEU's in 2008. It is also one of the most important ports in the...
. A rail connection between SEAT's Martorell and Zona Franca complexes facilitates vehicle and parts transportation between the two sites.
The industrial complex in Martorell also hosts the facilities of SEAT Sport
SEAT Sport
SEAT Sport is the motorsport division of the Spanish automobile manufacturer SEAT, founded in 1985 , succeeding the 'SEAT Special Vehicles department' which had been formed in 1971 with the mission to enforce the brand's participation in rally championships, followed by 11 titles between 1979 and...
, SEAT's Technical Center, Research and Development Center (R&D), Design Center, Prototypes Centre of Development, SEAT Service Center (also incorporating the After-Sales Service division, the Customer Services division and the Catalunya Motor dealership), as well as the Genuine Parts Centre for SEAT, Volkswagen, Audi and Škoda brands.
The development and assembly facilities are some of the newest and most modern and efficient within the Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automobile manufacturing group. , Volkswagen was ranked as the world’s third largest motor vehicle manufacturer and Europe's largest....
, giving the SEAT Martorell site the ability to produce high-quality cars not only for its own brand but also for other Volkswagen Group brands, such as Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
and Audi
Audi
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....
. For example, the development and design of several Audi models (e.g. the Audi A1
Audi A1
The Audi A1 is a supermini-class car launched by Audi at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. Sales of the initial three door A1 model started in Germany in August 2010, with the United Kingdom following in November 2010...
, the Audi A3
Audi A3
The Audi A3 is a small family car produced by the German automaker Audi since 1996. Two generations of A3 exist, both based on the Volkswagen Group A platform, which they share with several other models such as the Audi TT, Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Caddy and Volkswagen Touran as well as SEAT...
Sportback, the Audi Q5
Audi Q5
The Audi Q5 is a compact crossover SUV which was released by German automaker Audi for the 2009 model year. It is built using the new Audi MLP platform which debuted in the 2007 Audi A5 coupé. The Q5 is the second Audi model in the "Q" range, after the full-size Q7...
etc.) and also several Audi development projects took place there, and from 2011 onwards the Martorell plant manufactures the Audi Q3
Audi Q3
The Audi Q3 is a five-door compact coupe crossover by Audi that is expected to debut commercially in 2011. The car will use the Volkswagen Group A5 platform of the Volkswagen Golf Mk5, the same as the Volkswagen Tiguan/SEAT Tribu small SUVs. The Q3 will slot above the proposed Audi Q1 mini crossover...
small SUV.
The Barcelona Zona Franca site includes the SEAT Training Centre, the Zona Franca Press Shop factory, producing stamped body parts, and the Barcelona Gearbox del Prat plant, producing gearboxes not only for SEAT but also for other Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automobile manufacturing group. , Volkswagen was ranked as the world’s third largest motor vehicle manufacturer and Europe's largest....
marques (VW, Audi
Audi
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....
and Škoda
Škoda Auto
Škoda Auto , more commonly known as Škoda, is an automobile manufacturer based in the Czech Republic. Škoda became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group in 2000, positioned as the entry brand to the group...
); the latter plant was awarded the Volkswagen Excellence Award in 2009 by the Volkswagen Group for high-quality production process and product.
Another plant owned directly by SEAT from 1975 was the Landaben plant in Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
, but on December 1993 its ownership was transferred to the Volkswagen Group subsidiary "Volkswagen-Audi-Espana, S.A.", and the site today is producing Volkswagen cars in Spain. However, SEAT's Martorell site still provides support to Volkswagen's operations in the Pamplona plant when necessary, as it did after a serious fire in the paint shop in the Landaben VW plant in April 2007.
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
site in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
and the Palmela
Palmela
Palmela is a town and a municipality in Portugal with a total area of and a total population of 58,222 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 5 parishes, and is located in Setúbal District, about south of Lisbon.The municipal holiday is June 1....
AutoEuropa
AutoEuropa
AutoEuropa - Automóveis Lda. is a motor vehicle assembly plant, located in the city of Palmela, Portugal.-Foundation:After signature of a joint venture agreement between Volkswagen Group and Ford in July 1991, the 2million sqm plant was built in four years, including a surrounding industrial park...
factory in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, while in the past other plants were involved too in producing SEAT models, such as the factories in Germany (Wolfsburg) and Belgium.
Future plans include a new Research and development (R&D) centre in the city of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
in the field of environmental and energy efficiency for the entire Volkswagen Group and also the launch of a project on the city's urban mobility, as well as a SEAT museum in the Zona Franca's 'Nave A122' site hosting all production and prototype models ever presented by SEAT together with some special or limited edition vehicles with historical value for the brand and the automotive history of Spain.
Among SEAT's subsidiaries, the SEAT Deutschland GmbH subsidiary company is based in Mörfelden-Walldorf, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and apart from its commercial activities has the further responsibility of operating SEAT's electronic platform, the SEAT IT Services Network. In Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located on the River Aller northeast of Braunschweig , and is mainly notable as the headquarters of Volkswagen AG...
, Germany, in the middle of a lake inside the Autostadt
Autostadt
The Autostadt is a visitor attraction adjacent to the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg, Germany, with a prime focus on automobiles. It features a museum, feature pavilions for the principal automobile brands in the Volkswagen Group, a customer centre where customers can pick up new cars, and take a...
, the Volkswagen Group's corporate theme park, is SEAT's thematic pavilion, one of the largest pavilions in the park.
Presence in different markets
In its 60 years, there was only a short period from 1953 to 1965 when the firm produced its cars exclusively for the domestic Spanish market. In 1965 and in a rather symbolic move, the company exported some 150 units of its SEAT 600 model destined for Colombia by air freight for the first time, until two years later in 1967 SEAT reached a deal over the renegotiation of its licence contract with Fiat which allowed the Spanish firm to form an international distribution network for its cars and thereafter start its export operations massively to more than twelve different countries, entering the export market in 1969.Today, the company launches its own models of cars in different markets in more than 70 countries worldwide in accordance with the development policies of the Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automobile manufacturing group. , Volkswagen was ranked as the world’s third largest motor vehicle manufacturer and Europe's largest....
, with almost three-quarters of its annual production representing exports for the markets out of Spain. Its core market remains Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, while the most successful market outside of Europe in terms of sales for SEAT is currently Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, where the company has dealer presence in 27 Mexican states.
In Europe the brand is launched in almost 40 countries across Northern
Northern Europe
Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
, Western
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
, Southern
Southern Europe
The term Southern Europe, at its most general definition, is used to mean "all countries in the south of Europe". However, the concept, at different times, has had different meanings, providing additional political, linguistic and cultural context to the definition in addition to the typical...
, Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. SEAT today also sells its cars in 11 countries in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, mostly in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and the Arabian peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
, in 16 countries in Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
including North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, and finally Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, mainly in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. Some of its cars have been sold outside Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, branded as Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
s, such as the SEAT Ibiza
SEAT Ibiza
The SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range....
hatchback, known in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
as the Volkswagen Polo Playa
Volkswagen Polo Playa
The Volkswagen Polo Playa is a supermini produced and sold in South Africa. From 1996 until 2002, it was a rebadged version of the SEAT Ibiza Mk2 five-door hatchback. A separate model, the Polo Mk3 was sold in most markets during this period - this model shared its mechanical components with the...
, the SEAT Inca
SEAT Inca
The SEAT Inca is a panel van, manufactured between 1996 and 2003. It was designed and assembled in Spain by SEAT, and based upon the SEAT Ibiza Mk2....
panel van as the Volkswagen Caddy
Volkswagen Caddy
Released in 1980, the first Volkswagen Caddy is a coupe utility, and van based on the Volkswagen Group A1 platform, shared with the small family car Volkswagen Golf Mk1.Volkswagen Typ is:*147 = LHD*148 = RHD-Caddy debuts internationally as a Rabbit:...
, or the SEAT Córdoba
SEAT Córdoba
The first generation SEAT Córdoba was presented at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show and launched in the summer of the same year, penned by Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and based on the chassis of the SEAT Ibiza Mk2 which would spawn the Volkswagen Polo Mk3 the following year.Its 1.4, 1.6, 1.8...
, also known as the Volkswagen Polo Classic
Volkswagen Polo
The Volkswagen Polo is a supermini car manufactured by Volkswagen. It is sold in Europe and other markets worldwide in hatchback, saloon, coupé and estate variants....
.
In the years to come SEAT plans expanding in even more markets, the most crucial of them all being China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. While in the past SEAT held talks with the Chinese car maker FAW in order to form an alliance for the local production of SEAT models in China-located plants, the present project to enter the Chinese market comprises in 2012 first to start selling its range with cars produced in SEAT's Spain-located Martorell plant, followed later in a second phase by the local assembly of SEAT models in China.
SEAT's further expansion plans in more markets outside of Europe have yet to be realised. In the past the company was considering a possible launch in the United States although this move has never been carried out. Rumours also of a SEAT model being sold as a Volkswagen in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to supplement the Volkswagen's brand lineup there have occasionally circulated, but have always been unsubstantiated, and ultimately proven to be false.
In the past other market areas where the brand was also present for a short time were Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
(from 1995 to 1999) as well as South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
(from June 2006 to the end of 2008), however the brand was withdrawn from those markets due to Volkswagen's decision citing that current and expected circumstances made the ongoing importation of a niche brand non-viable.
From 2007 SEAT is presented in Russian Federation.
Establishment of SEAT
Spain today is the world's eighth largest producer of automobiles and its car market stands among the largest in Europe. However this has not always been the case for the country: for the greatest part of the first half of the twentieth century the limited car production in Spain's already respectively small market had been taken over mostly by foreign subsidiaries either importing or assembling cars in their local plants, depriving the country of technological know-how and substantial investments which could boost the economy. After the end of the Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
in 1939 the situation deteriorated, as car demand collapsed, not only due to the greatly reduced purchasing power of Spaniards caused by the immense devastation of the civil war, but also the multinational subsidiaries either ceased operations, departed the country and disappeared from the scene or were severely stricken during the warfare and therefore weakened they were struggling to continue business.
Into that groundfield flourished an opportunity and demand for the nation's volume car maker: SEAT dates its origins back to June 22, 1940 when the private Spanish bank 'Banco Urquijo
Banco Sabadell
Banco Sabadell, S.A. is a major bank headquartered in Sabadell. Together with Banco de Asturias, Banco Urquijo, Sabadell Banca Privada, Banco Herrero, Solbank and ActivoBank, it is part of the Banco Sabadell Group, which is the fifth largest commercial banking group in Spain after Banco Santander,...
' with the support of its group of industries (Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza was a Spanish automotive and engineering firm, best known for its luxury cars and aviation engines in the pre-World War II period of the twentieth century. In 1923, its French subsidiary became a semi-autonomous partnership with the parent company and is now part of the French SAFRAN...
, Basconia, Duro-Felguera, S.E. de Construcción Naval, Euskalduna, S.E. de Construcciones Metálicas, Fundiciones
Bolueta, Echevarría etc.) founded SEAT's predecessor company, the 'Sociedad Ibérica de Automóviles de Turismo' (S.I.A.T.) with an ambitious goal, that of being established as Spain's national car maker. The initial Banco Urquijo's project was aiming at running the S.I.A.T. motor company as a fully private enterprise, but soon after the foundation in 1941 of the interventionist state holding company Instituto Nacional de Industria
Instituto Nacional de Industria
'Instituto Nacional de Industria' , literally National Institute of Industry, was a Spanish state-owned financing and industrial holding company, currently succeeded by the Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales' .-History:...
(INI) the whole project would be taken over and carried out under the INI's leadership following a decision taken on January 3, 1942. The vision the new conglomerate carried on for the upcoming national car brand was not the one of another licensee car maker just assembling in Spain car models from some foreign manufacturer, it was instead the one serving the much needed autarky
Autarky
Autarky is the quality of being self-sufficient. Usually the term is applied to political states or their economic policies. Autarky exists whenever an entity can survive or continue its activities without external assistance. Autarky is not necessarily economic. For example, a military autarky...
keeping the whole manufacturing process in Spain but most important being able gradually to produce its own specific models with locally made parts. In acknowledgement of the country's lack of extended previous expertise in automobile developing procedures, the intention was to invite a recognized foreign partner automobile maker who would contribute technically and with its own models in the start — giving to him in exchange cash, shares, bonds and royalties — but who would over time step aside as soon as the Spanish national car maker would become more and more independent and eventually capable to produce its own range of vehicles. With the rest of Europe though having entered the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the project was consequently delayed but not abandoned due to its strategic importance.
SEAT under its current name was founded on May 9, 1950 under the denomination 'Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo, S.A.' (S.E.A.T.) by the Instituto Nacional de Industria (INI) with a starting capital of 600 million pesetas
Spanish peseta
The peseta was the currency of Spain between 1869 and 2002. Along with the French franc, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra .- Etymology :...
— equivalent today of almost 3.6 million Euros — in the form of 600 thousand shares of one thousand Pesetas each, and in a time when the country was in need of remodelling the fundamental structures in its national economy, just after the end of the World War II. The birth of SEAT came almost a year and a half after the Spanish government and six Spanish banks ( 'Banco Urquijo', 'Banco Español de Crédito (Banesto)
Banesto
Banesto is a Spanish bank, 88.4% owned by Banco Santander. Currently Banesto is the fifth-largest banking group in Spain, operating around 1,770 branches....
', 'Banco de Bilbao
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. is a multinational Spanish banking group. It was formed in 1999 from the merger of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya and Argentaria, both of which in turn had previously amalgamated three important banks in Spain, namely Banco de Bilbao, Banco de Vizcaya, Banco Exterior de...
', 'Banco de Vizcaya
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. is a multinational Spanish banking group. It was formed in 1999 from the merger of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya and Argentaria, both of which in turn had previously amalgamated three important banks in Spain, namely Banco de Bilbao, Banco de Vizcaya, Banco Exterior de...
', 'Banco Hispano-Americano' and 'Banco Central' ) had signed on October 26, 1948 an alliance contract with the Italian car manufacturer Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
so as to form a partnership with a foreign ally in order to bring to life Spain's major car manufacturer. Among all the bidders the German Volkswagen and the Italian Fiat were the predominant ones, however the Italian firm Fiat proved to be the alleged ally for several reasons: first, Fiat was a car manufacturer already known in Spain for its built quantities aptitude relevant to that prospected for SEAT and also had attributed a successful outcome of collaboration in the endeavor of the French Simca
Simca
Simca was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat. It was directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by the Italian Henri Théodore Pigozzi...
; second, the experience from the semi-protected car market in Italy could easily be transferred to the one in Spain, both of which had, at the time, customers of low incomes and limited markets for cars. Fiat's experience in the very similar market conditions of Italy made it the best choice for a partner in Spain. Fiat had been granted a monopoly in Italy, it dominated the market for vehicles under 12 horsepower; also, the relative economic isolation of war damaged Italy at the end of the World War II and the fact that the Italian car maker was looking to opportunities outside Italy in the post World War II (the short-lived 'Fiat Hispania' plant in Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Spain
Guadalajara is a city and municipality in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain, and in the natural region of La Alcarria. It is the capital of the province of Guadalajara. It is located roughly 60 km northeast of Madrid on the Henares River, and has a population of 83,789...
, having been destroyed by the Spanish Civil War) — meant that the negotiations with the Italian manufacturer could prosper more easily in favour of Spanish interests than with those from other countries. In 1947 the Banco Urquijo group had revived the S.I.A.T. project and next year the talks ended up successfully in the signing of the three-part contract, with the understanding that the INI would hold the 51% controlling interest as well as a ruling act in the new company preserving to stay focused on the approach of an enterprise of 'national interest', Banco Urquijo group although a minority share holder looking forward in assuming a leading role in the future as soon as the company would be left to privates and the newcomer partner car maker Fiat been offered a 7% share in exchange of its technical assistance. This way SEAT not only would be able to reinitiate the country's economy as the largest employer in the 1960s and 1970s but also contribute to the industrialisation of a then still largely rural society.
Even though there were initial thoughts of locating in less developed inland cities like Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
and Burgos
Burgos
Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...
, it was decided that the company's plant would be constructed in the duty-free zone area of the Port of Barcelona (Barcelona Zona Franca), which would offer better access to the Mediterranean shipping and the rest of Europe through rail and road connections across the nearby French border. Barcelona was after all a city with an industrial history that had built up expertise in complex industrial enterprises since the latter part of the 19th century; it was also the host location of many early historical Spanish car makers, like Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza was a Spanish automotive and engineering firm, best known for its luxury cars and aviation engines in the pre-World War II period of the twentieth century. In 1923, its French subsidiary became a semi-autonomous partnership with the parent company and is now part of the French SAFRAN...
and Elizalde
Elizalde (automobile)
-Automobile manufacturer:Arturo Elizalde Rouvier opened a garage in Barcelona in 1909, and used it to manufacture automobile parts. He and his brother-in-law, Rafael Biada Navarro, were co-managers of the company they had formed with J. M. Vallet y Arnau, under the name "Sociedad Mercantil J. M....
, and subsidiaries of foreign car makers, like 'Ford Motor Ibérica' and 'General Motors Peninsular'. Being an enterprise of vital interest for the national economy as well as an investment opportunity for Fiat's expansion plans through the Iberian peninsula, SEAT benefitted from state tariff and tax exemptions and technical assistance from its foreign partner Fiat. The company’s first president was José Ortiz Echagüe, an aeronautical engineer and pilot who came from the Spanish aircraft builder 'Construcciones Aeronáuticas (CASA)', where he had held the position of CEO.
Partnership with Fiat
The construction works for SEAT's Zona Franca plant began on 1950 and the opening day came three years later on June 5, 1953, while in the meantime since 1951 the Spanish marque was starting preparations for setting up almost from scratch an entire supplier industry background. The first car in the marque's history to be produced was a SEAT 1400SEAT 1400
The SEAT 1400 was a rear-wheel drive four door sedan mid-size car launched by the Spanish car maker SEAT between 1953 and 1963, the first model ever produced by SEAT and the first car to be assembled at the firm's new plant located in Barcelona's Zona Franca zone.The car was a rebranded Fiat 1400,...
model that came off the production line on November 13, 1953 with licence plate 'B-87.223'. In the following few months the plant's production output and workforce would significally increase together with the implementation of locally made components in the production process, in order to limit imports from one part and from another part to push to the development of the almost non-existent Spanish supplier industry and meet SEAT's assigned key role as the national car maker in restoring the Spanish economy of the post World War II Spain. Already from 1954 the use of Spanish-made parts had raised up to a 93% proportion out of total and next year on May 5, 1955 the factory was officially opened.
Until the time SEAT had the technical maturity and expertise to present its first self-developed model the SEAT 1200 Sport
SEAT 1200 Sport
The SEAT 1200 Sport is a 2-door 4-seater coupé presented officially by SEAT in December 1975 and commercially launched from February 1976 to September 1979. Its huge importance for SEAT lied on the fact it was the first model of the Spanish brand entirely developed in its newly-opened Martorell...
in 1975, in its beginnings the company had to manufacture either rebadged or restyled models borrowed from the range of its Italian partner Fiat, or even redeveloped them according to the needs of its own range. However the first example of a SEAT exclusive derivative would arrive already on September 1963 with the launch of the SEAT 800, a car which was developed in-house by SEAT with no equivalent model in Fiat's range on the basis of the SEAT 600 as a stretched version with 4-doors.
In 1957 SEAT founded the SEAT Training Centre in the greater Zona Franca plant area, an institution covering the training of qualified personnel and serving the needs of the automobile industry in specialized technical human resources. In that same year was launched the historical SEAT 600
SEAT 600
The SEAT 600 was a Spanish car made by SEAT from May 1957 to August 1973. It helped to start the economic boom, the Spanish Miracle , that came at the end of the slow recovery from the Spanish Civil War...
, which proved to be the crucial car that literally motorized Spain, being the first car for many Spanish families and becoming a symbol of the Spanish Miracle
Spanish miracle
The Spanish miracle was the name given to a broadly based economic boom in Spain from 1959 to 1974. The international oil and stagflation crises of the 1970s ended the boom.- The pre-boom situation :...
.
As the growth of the annual production was hitting one record after another due to the heavy demand, the economies of scale achieved would permit cutting costs and prices, subsequently renew demand and boost sales together with profits for SEAT. On June 29, 1964, the brand opened its new headquarters in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, which hosted the firm's sole — up to 1972 — general administration offices. In Barcelona was found only SEAT's plant manager until 1973, a year when SEAT settled in Catalonia another general direction.
In 1967, fourteen years after producing cars for the domestic market, SEAT's success would be signalised by a dominant position in Spain ahead of its major competitors, i.e. 'FASA-Renault
FASA-Renault
FASA-Renault was a Spanish automobile manufacturer which produced Renault and Renault-based vehicles from 1951 to 2000.The company was established in 1951 in Valladolid as FASA by Spanish interests, a license having been obtained to allow local production of Renault vehicles...
', 'Citroën-Hispania', Authi
Authi
The Authi car company of Pamplona, Spain, was founded in 1965 as a result of a collaboration between BMC and NMQ ....
and Barreiros
Barreiros (manufacturer)
Barreiros was a Spanish manufacturer of engines, trucks, buses, tractors and automobiles.-Barreiros Diesel:The company was founded in 1954 as Barreiros Diesel S.A. by Eduardo Barreiros and based in Madrid...
, making SEAT the Spain's largest auto-maker in sales numbers and a wholly localized production. In that year an agreement between Fiat and the Spanish Ministry of Industry was reached so as to put an end in the restrictions over exporting SEAT cars out of Spain, a term previewed in the original licencee contract with Fiat since 1948. In exchange to that, Fiat would increase its holding in the company from 7% to 36%, and at the same time the share held by the government holding agency
Instituto Nacional de Industria
'Instituto Nacional de Industria' , literally National Institute of Industry, was a Spanish state-owned financing and industrial holding company, currently succeeded by the Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales' .-History:...
would be reduced from a controlling 51% to 32%. The remaining 32% was taken by the six major Spanish banks, decreased from their previous 42% share split equally in 7% parts owned by every single one of them. Although not a majority owner, Fiat now was seen to control the business: the deal also included various undertakings by Fiat to help in the growth of SEAT, and with the development of a new model (possibly the SEAT 133
SEAT 133
The SEAT 133 was a small rear-engine car designed and sold by SEAT in Spain from 1974 to 1979. The car used the chassis and engine of the by then defunct Fiat/SEAT 850 and featured a new body in the style of the contemporary, somewhat smaller and only indirectly related Fiat 126.The car was first...
). On December 6, 1967, SEAT also founded its own customer financing company 'Financiera SEAT, S.A.' (Fiseat).
To be able to produce independently its own research projects, SEAT on November 16, 1970 came in accordance with Fiat so as to start building separate infrastructures aiming at developing new technologies. As the brand arranged in 1972 some provisional facilities in the site of the future Technical Center in Martorell and in 1973 began construction works, this goal would only take five years till 1975 to be reached with the completion of the first phase in the construction of SEAT's Technical Center, a facility designed by the Catalan architect Josep Antoni Coderch
Josep Antoni Coderch
Josep Antoni Coderch i de Sentmenat was the most important post-World War II Catalan architect.-Early life and career:...
.
During the same period, the manufacturer continued to dominate the Spanish auto market, producing 282,698 cars — more than 58% of the Spanish production total — in 1971 despite disruption that year caused by strikes and a serious flood at the coastally sited Barcelona plant. However, with just 81 cars per thousand people, Spanish car sales were seen as ripe for further growth, and SEAT faced the prospect of increased competition with other major manufacturers contemplating establishment or expansion of 'local' production facilities in the still heavily protected Spanish car market.
In 1973, SEAT and 'Citroën-Hispania' jointly contributed equal shares in founding the Vigo
Vigo
Vigo is a city and municipality in north-west Spain, in Galicia, situated on the ria of the same name on the Atlantic Ocean.-Population:...
-located factory of 'Industrias Mecánicas de Galicia, SA' (Indugasa) producing constant-velocity joint
Constant-velocity joint
Constant-velocity joints allow a drive shaft to transmit power through a variable angle, at constant rotational speed, without an appreciable increase in friction or play. They are mainly used in front wheel drive and all wheel drive cars...
s, essential components used in front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...
cars i.e. in a transmission layout the use of which was becoming more and more common at the time. This plant — which in the next years would supply parts not only to SEAT and 'Citroën-Hispania' but also to 'Ford España' — was meant to be transferred later in 1986 to the multinational company GKN
GKN
GKN plc is a multinational automotive and aerospace components company headquartered in Redditch, United Kingdom. The company was formerly known as Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds and can trace its origins back to 1759 and the birth of the Industrial Revolution.GKN is listed on the London Stock...
.
Authi
The Authi car company of Pamplona, Spain, was founded in 1965 as a result of a collaboration between BMC and NMQ ....
owned factories, SEAT moved on talks with the parent company British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC) of the bankrupt Authi in order to take over the brand's operations in Spain leaving aside GM
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
's interest in it, something which would otherwise open the path for the American automaker to enter the Spanish market thus jeopardizing the relationship with Fiat. The talks ended soon on July 1975, when an agreement was announced between the two parts under which SEAT would acquire from BLMC the Authi brand along with its assets for 1,250 million pesetas. The imposed acquisition of the Landaben plant would also result in giving up SEAT's plans to build a new facility in Saragossa. Although the Authi supplier factory in Manresa was transferred to a company called Cometsa for 150 million pesetas, the Landaben plant in Pamplona remained under SEAT's ownership to continue production on February 1976 only of SEAT cars this time.
The 1970s were a decade of rising prosperity in Spain, which is reflected in the announcement in August 1976 that SEAT would commence local production of the Lancia Beta
Lancia Beta
The Lancia Beta is a car produced by Lancia. It was the first new model introduced by Lancia after it had been taken over by Fiat in 1969.-Berlina:...
. Three years later Beta production by SEAT indeed commenced at the company's recently acquired Pamplona plant, though only the Coupe and HPE lift-back versions were included. The Spanish cars were fitted with a simplified suspension system and smaller engines than their Italian counterparts in order to qualify for a lower car tax rate.
In 1977 SEAT's leasing company Liseat was founded and in 1979 the Gearbox del Prat facility was set up as a specialised plant in the production of gearboxes, gear mechanisms and differentials in El Prat del Llobregat near Barcelona.
Dispute with Fiat
In the early 1980s extensive discussions concerning funding and control took place between the major shareholder, the Spanish government, and Fiat: SEAT needed major capital investment which Fiat was not prepared to inject partly due to the oil crisis of the '70s and in another part due to the uncertainty for Fiat's interests following the end of a protectionist policy against GM in Spain. The outcome, by 1982, was an end after nearly 30 years, to the relationship with Fiat, a rather surprising decision in spite of the favourable perspectives for the Spanish economy with Spain being in the anteroom of the European Economic CommunityEuropean Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
since 1977.
The end of the co-operation with the Italian firm was marked by a change in SEAT's logo in 1982, and the first car under the new SEAT logo without Fiat involvement appeared in 1982, called the SEAT Ronda
SEAT Ronda
The SEAT Ronda is a small family car produced by the Spanish automaker SEAT from 1982 to 1986, and styled by Rayton Fissore in collaboration with the Technical Centre in Martorell...
styled by Rayton Fissore in collaboration with the Technical Centre in Martorell. The launch of this model though sparked a lawsuit from Fiat against SEAT, as the former claimed the car was too similar to a car in Fiat's range, the Fiat Ritmo
Fiat Ritmo
The Fiat Ritmo is an automobile from the Italian manufacturer Fiat, launched in 1978. Styled by Bertone of Italy, it was seen by some as the most distinctive looking small family car in Europe on its launch in 1978 Turin Motorshow. It was badged in Great Britain and North America as the Fiat Strada...
. In defence of SEAT, the then president of SEAT, Juan Miguel Antoñanzas, showed a Ronda to the press with all the parts different from the Fiat Ritmo painted in bright yellow, to highlight the differences. The case was eventually taken to the Arbitration Chamber of Paris which in 1983 declared that differences between both cars were important enough so as not to consider the Ronda as a rebadged Ritmo, ending the dispute in favour of SEAT. Rumour at the time had it that Fiat was angry because the Ronda restyling was in fact too close to their own planned restyling for the Fiat Ritmo, which they had to scrap.
Volkswagen Group subsidiary
In 1982, Dr. Carl Horst HahnCarl Hahn
Dr. Carl Horst Hahn is chairman emeritus of the automotive concern Volkswagen Group. He served as the Chairman of the Board of Management of the group's parent company, Volkswagen AG from 1982 to 1993...
— who had just assumed responsibility as the chairman of the Volkswagenwerk AG (Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automobile manufacturing group. , Volkswagen was ranked as the world’s third largest motor vehicle manufacturer and Europe's largest....
) — looked into the opportunity of approaching SEAT after the withdrawal of Fiat in 1981, in his plan to expand the Volkswagen Group's operations out of Germany and turning the German group into a global force. The Spanish authorities had though already started talks with other foreign firms such as Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi Motors
is a multinational automaker headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. In 2009 it was the fifth-largest Japan-based automaker and the 17th-largest in the world measured by production...
in order to choose a strong partner for SEAT. However it was Hahn's interest that would soon result in an industrial and commercial cooperation as well as a licence agreement with SEAT on September 30, 1982 for the production in Spain of the Volkswagen Passat
Volkswagen Passat
The Volkswagen Passat is a large family car marketed by Volkswagen Passenger Cars through six design generations since 1973. Between the Volkswagen Golf / Volkswagen Jetta and the Volkswagen Phaeton in the current Volkswagen line-up, the Passat and its derivatives have been badged variously as...
-Santana and Polo-Derby models in SEAT's Zona Franca and Landaben factories respectively — having thus as an effect on April 29, 1983 the ending of the SEAT Panda's production at the Landaben assembly lines due to need of adapting this plant to the production of the VW Polo — and eventually a partnership agreement was signed on June 16, 1983 between the two parts being represented by the president of SEAT Juan Miguel Antoñanzas and Carl Hahn on behalf of the Volkswagenwerk AG.
On June 18, 1986 after a purchase of SEAT's 51% majority stake followed later that year on December 23, 1986 by the increase of its share up to 75%, the Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automobile manufacturing group. , Volkswagen was ranked as the world’s third largest motor vehicle manufacturer and Europe's largest....
became the major shareholder
Shareholder
A shareholder or stockholder is an individual or institution that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a public or private corporation. Shareholders own the stock, but not the corporation itself ....
of SEAT, and as of December 1990 the 99,99% owner
Ownership
Ownership is the state or fact of exclusive rights and control over property, which may be an object, land/real estate or intellectual property. Ownership involves multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different parties. The concept of ownership has...
of the company thus making SEAT the first non-German subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group. Fulfilling Hahn's expectations, SEAT not only made a profit two years after Volkswagen bought a majority of its stock but also provided a low-cost manufacturing outlet for other VW group models — contributing up to 15.2% of the VW group's total output in 1989 — as well as an opportunity to enter the unexploited by that time Spanish market under the SEAT, VW and Audi brand names.
The gathering of the brand's main infrastructures in the greater Martorell plant area has taken place in a long process beginning back in 1975 with the opening of the SEAT Technical centre but it was only in 1989 when a decision was taken to start building a new main assembly facility next to the Technical Centre in Martorell replacing the old one in Zona Franca. In that same year began the translocation of SEAT's Madrid admiistration offices to Barcelona with the sale of two of the brand's assets in La Castellana
Paseo de la Castellana
Paseo de la Castellana , commonly known as La Castellana, is one of the longest and widest avenues of Madrid. It is named after an old fountain that used to exist in Plaza de Castilla...
to be completed in 1991 with the definitive installation of SEAT's headquarters in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
region.
The centralisation of the management, design, research and production facilities localized around the plant site was meant to serve the aim of optimising the development in the process of making new models. On February 22, 1993 King Juan Carlos of Spain and the newly elected since January 1, 1993 Chairman of the Volkswagen Group Dr. Ferdinand Piëch
Ferdinand Piëch
Ferdinand Karl Piëch is an Austrian business magnate, engineer and executive who is currently the chairman of the supervisory board of Volkswagen Group....
inaugurated the Martorell plant, one of the most modern and efficient car plants in Europe using the 'Just in time' process with its suppliers’ site located only 2.5 km away. The first cars that rolled out of the Martorell plant production lines were the SEAT Ibiza Mk2
SEAT Ibiza
The SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range....
and the SEAT Córdoba Mk1
SEAT Córdoba
The first generation SEAT Córdoba was presented at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show and launched in the summer of the same year, penned by Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and based on the chassis of the SEAT Ibiza Mk2 which would spawn the Volkswagen Polo Mk3 the following year.Its 1.4, 1.6, 1.8...
.
The original planning in October 1993 to close the emblematic Zona Franca assembly plant as soon as the production of vehicles would be transferred to the more efficient Martorell plant was overturned after an arrangement between the Spanish authorities and the Volkswagen Group, according to which the Zona Franca site would continue its operations but would be gradually turned into a site with an auxiliary role in the production process (foundry, press-shop etc.). Meanwhile on December 23, 1993, the 'Fábrica Navarra de Automóviles, S.A.' was founded as a new company to hold the management of the Landaben factory separating any ties to SEAT in production matters, with its shares being transferred to Volkswagen on June 1994 over which however SEAT would regain ownership four years later in 1998.
In 1994 the Design Center in Sitges
Sitges
*Church of Sant Bartolomeu i Santa Tecla . It houses two Gothic sepulchres , belonging to the an older church located on the same site...
— the Spanish coastal town south of Barcelona — and the suppliers' park in Zona Franca were also inaugurated, and in winter of the same year SEAT's financing and leasing companies — Fiseat and Liseat — were sold to 'Volkswagen Financial Services AG'.
The first time a SEAT model was manufactured out of Spain was in 1996, with the production of the SEAT Alhambra Mk1
SEAT Alhambra
The SEAT Alhambra is a large 7-seat MPV by the Volkswagen Group, sold under the SEAT brand.The Alhambra already spans two generations since 1996, and both of them are built at the AutoEuropa plant in Palmela, Portugal...
in the Palmela
Palmela
Palmela is a town and a municipality in Portugal with a total area of and a total population of 58,222 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 5 parishes, and is located in Setúbal District, about south of Lisbon.The municipal holiday is June 1....
AutoEuropa
AutoEuropa
AutoEuropa - Automóveis Lda. is a motor vehicle assembly plant, located in the city of Palmela, Portugal.-Foundation:After signature of a joint venture agreement between Volkswagen Group and Ford in July 1991, the 2million sqm plant was built in four years, including a surrounding industrial park...
plant in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. Also on January 1997 it was the first time when a non-Spanish descendant, the Belgian Pierre-Alain de Smedt, was ever appointed SEAT's chairman.
On April 7, 1998 the Zona Franca plant marked the end in the production life cycle of the Marbella
SEAT Marbella
The SEAT Panda was a badge-engineered Fiat Panda produced by SEAT from 1980 to 1986, in the company's Landaben plant in the Spanish city of Pamplona-Navarra and also in the firm's Zona Franca plant in Barcelona...
model, signalising an historical moment for SEAT with the end of vehicle production in SEAT's oldest factory opened in 1953; ever since the Zona Franca plant produces components and parts to be assembled in other locations.
In March 1999 at the Geneva Motor Show, SEAT presented a modern stylised logo, more rounded compared to the last one and with the use of the silver colour on a red background — instead of the previous blue — symbolising respectively the rational and the emotional. The 'auto emoción' slogan was presented next year in September 2000 reflecting the brand's new youthful and sporty corporate identity, while SEAT Sport
SEAT Sport
SEAT Sport is the motorsport division of the Spanish automobile manufacturer SEAT, founded in 1985 , succeeding the 'SEAT Special Vehicles department' which had been formed in 1971 with the mission to enforce the brand's participation in rally championships, followed by 11 titles between 1979 and...
apart from its motorsport activities would undertake the responsibility of developing SEAT's high-performance vehicles.
Next year on July 1, 2000 Dr. Bernd Peter Pischetsrieder
Bernd Pischetsrieder
Dr. Bernd Peter Pischetsrieder is a German automobile engineer and manager.He was born in Munich, Bavaria, and studied Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Munich from 1968 to 1972. He earned the degree of "Diplom-Ingenieur", and began his career at BMW in 1973 as a Production...
, the former Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
, was appointed to head SEAT. In the spring of 2002 as Pischetsrieder was commissioned to chair the entire Volkswagen Group, he gave way to his German compatriot Andreas Schleef on March 7, 2002.
From 2002 up to 2007 SEAT formed part of the Audi Brand Group, the Volkswagen Group's automotive sub-division, consisted of Audi, SEAT and Lamborghini, that was focused on more sporty values, with the marque's product vehicles and performance being under the higher responsibility of the Audi brand.
In 2006 the new SEAT corporate head office was opened in Martorell and the Martorell SEAT Design Centre superseded the Volkswagen Group Design Centre Europe at Sitges
Sitges
*Church of Sant Bartolomeu i Santa Tecla . It houses two Gothic sepulchres , belonging to the an older church located on the same site...
— which previously hosted the design facility jointly owned by SEAT, Volkswagen and Audi — as on February 23 of the same year an agreement over the transfer of the installations of the latter to the City of Sitges was closed, with the Martorell's Design Centre official opening on the other hand eventually taking place on December 30, 2007.
On January 12, 2007, there was the inauguration of the building of the SEAT Service Centre next to the southern entrance of the Martorell factory, the department focusing on technical support, after-sales and marketing purposes and also covering the feedback and the relationship of the brand with the customers and its worldwide network. On January 2007 began also operation the SEAT Prototypes Centre of Development located in the heart of the Martorell industrial complex, a facility inaugurated on July 16 of the same year, bringing together activities related to the virtual and physical preproduction process of new models (like prototyping, modeling, pilot product development and series analysis) thus shortening development times for prototypes and pre-production vehicles as well as saving costs with the use of modern technologies like virtual simulation.
SEAT in motorsport
SEAT's involvement in motorsport begins back in the '60s with the brand's contribution to the national formula races in Spain and by the end of the same decade the start of its implication to rallies. In 1971, the 'Special Vehicles department' was formed with the mission to enforce the brand's participation in rally championships, followed by 11 titles between 1979 and 1983. The year 1985 was the moment when SEAT SportSEAT Sport
SEAT Sport is the motorsport division of the Spanish automobile manufacturer SEAT, founded in 1985 , succeeding the 'SEAT Special Vehicles department' which had been formed in 1971 with the mission to enforce the brand's participation in rally championships, followed by 11 titles between 1979 and...
was founded as a separate motorsport division and especially since the Volkswagen Group takeover in 1986, SEAT has been increasing even more its presence in the motorsport world, mainly down to VW's plan on focusing the SEAT brand as 'sporty' in order to appeal particularly to the younger generation of drivers. The result of this effort has been rewarded through SEAT's most prestigious titles in FIA championships, three conquests with the SEAT Ibiza Kit-Car in the FIA 2L World Rally Championship (WRC)
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
(1996, 1997, 1998) and two times with the SEAT León in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC)
World Touring Car Championship
For the video game, known as World Touring Car Championship in Japan, see TOCA World Touring CarsThe FIA World Touring Car Championship is an international Touring Car championship sanctioned by the FIA.-History:...
(2008, 2009).
Rallying
SEAT's first serious attempt at a World Rally ChampionshipWorld Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
(WRC) was back in the 1977 season when SEAT took part with its 'SEAT 1430/124D Especial 1800' race car, and already in its debut rallying event at the Montecarlo Rally the SEAT team finished in the third and fourth place with the official 1430-1800 cars being driven by Antonio Zanini and Salvador Cañellas. In the recent years the consignment was burdened on the small SEAT Ibiza
SEAT Ibiza
The SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range....
, a 1.6L normally aspirated front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...
car with its roots in the Volkswagen Polo
Volkswagen Polo
The Volkswagen Polo is a supermini car manufactured by Volkswagen. It is sold in Europe and other markets worldwide in hatchback, saloon, coupé and estate variants....
. The Ibiza allowed the company to further evolve its rallying experience, and was officially engaged in some European national championships. The years went by until a 2L version of the Ibiza was homologated
Homologation
Homologation is a technical term, derived from the Greek homologeo for "to agree", which is generally used in English to signify the granting of approval by an official authority...
as a kit-car, and extra wide tracks, larger wheels, brakes, etc., were fitted to it as the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is a non-profit association established as the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users...
(FIA) kit-car regulations allow. With these attributes, the car succeeded three times the 2L World Champion ('96, '97, '98), proving its maker had accumulated enough experience, and budgets, to take a chance at the reign category, the World Rally Car
World Rally Car
World Rally Car is a term used to describe racing automobiles built to the specification set by the FIA, the international motorsports governing body, and used to compete in the outright class of the World Rally Championship...
class of rallying cars.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, probably convinced Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automobile manufacturing group. , Volkswagen was ranked as the world’s third largest motor vehicle manufacturer and Europe's largest....
management to go further and allow the SEAT Sport
SEAT Sport
SEAT Sport is the motorsport division of the Spanish automobile manufacturer SEAT, founded in 1985 , succeeding the 'SEAT Special Vehicles department' which had been formed in 1971 with the mission to enforce the brand's participation in rally championships, followed by 11 titles between 1979 and...
department a chance to reach its goal in the top class WRC category. This situation came to an end in September 2000, when the company's German upper management revoked its decision forcing SEAT Sport to retire from the World Rally Championship.
SEATs project to build a WRC-spec car was officially announced during the 1997 San Remo rally. It was in 1998 that the first evolution of the 'SEAT Córdoba
SEAT Córdoba
The first generation SEAT Córdoba was presented at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show and launched in the summer of the same year, penned by Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and based on the chassis of the SEAT Ibiza Mk2 which would spawn the Volkswagen Polo Mk3 the following year.Its 1.4, 1.6, 1.8...
WRC' car was presented at the Porto Motor Show and then first enrolled by the company to compete at the highest level of WRC racing. The Córdoba was based on the family saloon of the same name but was, naturally, a WRC class car equipped with a 4-cylinder
Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
turbocharged
Turbocharger
A turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...
petrol engine
Petrol engine
A petrol engine is an internal combustion engine with spark-ignition, designed to run on petrol and similar volatile fuels....
, permanent four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
, and active differentials involved in its transmission. The 'Córdoba WRC' made its debut at the 1998 Rally of Finland
Rally Finland
The Neste Oil Rally Finland is a rally event driven in the Jyväskylä area in Central Finland. It is the biggest annually organised public event in the Nordic countries, gathering over 500,000 spectators every year....
, while a further development on the race car was incarnated on the 'SEAT Córdoba WRC E2' car which was presented at the Barcelona Motor Show in 1999. However, the short wheelbase
Wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels.- Road :In automobiles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel and the center of the rear wheel...
and high-mounted engine (compared to its rivals) worked against the Córdoba, and results weren't top competing. Despite hiring ex-WRC champion Didier Auriol
Didier Auriol
Didier Auriol is a French rally driver.Born in Montpellier, and initially an ambulance driver, Auriol made his name as a French rally driver in the World Rally Championship throughout the 1990s. He became World Rally Champion in 1994, the first from his country to do so...
, and a new evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
of the car i.e. the 'SEAT Córdoba WRC E3', SEAT pulled out of international rallying at the end of 2000.
Touring cars
In 2002, SEAT announced a one-make championship for the new SEAT LeónSEAT León
The SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A. since October 1998.The two León generations are, or have been built upon two differing variants of the Volkswagen Group A platform, and they also share many other components with...
Cupra R, the SEAT León Supercopa
SEAT León Supercopa
The SEAT León Supercopa is a one-make racing series, organised by SEAT Sport, the motorsport division of Spanish car manufacturer SEAT. It uses a modified version of the SEAT León road car, and championships are currently run in Spain, Germany, Italy and France...
.
In 2004, SEAT with Ray Mallock Ltd.
Ray Mallock Ltd.
Ray Mallock Ltd., also known as RML Group, is a motorsports racing team and engineering company. In 2010, RML is engaged in the Le Mans Series as well as being the works Chevrolet team in the British Touring Car Championship and the World Touring Car Championship.-Early history:Ray Mallock began...
(RML) entered the British Touring Car Championship
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
, running two SEAT Toledo
SEAT Toledo
The second generation Toledo was introduced in 1998 and made its debut at the 1998 Paris Motor Show as a four-door notchback sedan. It was more rounded than the previous first generation shape and had a much more fluid design, although both were products of Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign studio...
Cupra for former-BTCC Champion Jason Plato
Jason Plato
Timothy Jason Plato is a British racing car driver currently competing in the BTCC for Silverline Chevrolet. He is a two time BTCC champion having previously won the series in 2001 when driving for Vauxhall and 2010 for Silverline Chevrolet. He has finished in the top 3 in the championship 8 times...
, and 2003 León UK Champion, Rob Huff
Rob Huff
Robert "Rob" Peter Huff is a British racing driver. He currently competes in the World Touring Car Championship for the Chevrolet team, driving the Chevrolet Cruze.-Early years:...
. In 2005, Huff left to join Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
(run by RML in the World Touring Car Championship
World Touring Car Championship
For the video game, known as World Touring Car Championship in Japan, see TOCA World Touring CarsThe FIA World Touring Car Championship is an international Touring Car championship sanctioned by the FIA.-History:...
(WTCC)), and he was replaced by 2004 Leon Champion James Pickford
James Pickford
James Pickford is an English race car driver, born 30 April 1979 in Macclesfield, Cheshire. As a child his interest was in motorbikes; his father Keith ran bike racing teams. However, as with Damon Hill his mother led him towards the relatively safe world of car racing, beginning in karts in 1994....
, and Luke Hines
Luke Hines
Luke Hines is a British auto racing driver, he is the son of former karting champion and Zip Kart founder/owner Martin Hines. After a small amount of open wheel racing in Formula Ford, Luke entered the Production Class of the BTCC in 2003, with the Barwell Motorsport team. He was the class...
as SEAT expanded to three cars, now run by Northern South. 2006 saw the Toledo replaced by the new León
SEAT León
The SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A. since October 1998.The two León generations are, or have been built upon two differing variants of the Volkswagen Group A platform, and they also share many other components with...
, and Darren Turner
Darren Turner
Darren Turner is an English racing driver. He was McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year in 1996. He is a former test driver for the McLaren Formula One team, but has raced primarily in touring cars and sportscars since 2000. He spent 2 years in the DTM for Keke Rosberg's...
joined the team with James Thompson
James Thompson (racing driver)
James Thompson is a British auto racing driver and commentator for Eurosport's motorsport coverage. He has twice been champion of the British Touring Car Championship , and was third in the 2007 World Touring Car Championship.-Racing career:He started racing in the BTCC in a privately-entered...
when his WTCC commitments allowed. 2007 was SEAT's best year in BTCC, as Plato was locked in a season-long battle with Fabrizio Giovanardi
Fabrizio Giovanardi
Fabrizio Giovanardi is an Italian racing driver. During his career he has won eight touring car titles, including European and British crowns...
, which came down to the final race of the season, but just missed out on the title.
Since 2005, SEAT has also competed in the World Touring Car Championship
World Touring Car Championship
For the video game, known as World Touring Car Championship in Japan, see TOCA World Touring CarsThe FIA World Touring Car Championship is an international Touring Car championship sanctioned by the FIA.-History:...
, with its first best season being 2007, where a failed water pump
Water Pump
Water Pump is one of the neighbourhoods of Gulberg Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It is near main Water Pump that supplies fresh water to the city of Karachi....
robbed Yvan Muller
Yvan Muller
Yvan Muller is a French auto racing driver most noted for success in touring car racing. He is a two-time and the reigning World Touring Car Champion.-Single-seaters:...
of certain victory at the final meeting in Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
. SEAT became the first team to run a TDI
Turbocharged Direct Injection
TDI or Turbocharged Direct Injection is a design of turbodiesel engines, which feature turbocharging and cylinder-direct fuel injection, developed and produced by Volkswagen Group. These TDI engines are widely used in all mainstream Volkswagen Group marques of passenger cars and light commercial...
in the WTCC and this gave them a dominant 2008 World Touring Car Championship season
2008 World Touring Car Championship season
The 2008 World Touring Car Championship season was the fifth World Touring Car Championship season, the fourth since its 2005 return. It began on March 2, and ended on November 16, after twenty-four races...
, with Yvan Muller
Yvan Muller
Yvan Muller is a French auto racing driver most noted for success in touring car racing. He is a two-time and the reigning World Touring Car Champion.-Single-seaters:...
wining the drivers championship. French racing team Oreca
Oreca
Oreca is a French racing team, founded and run by Hugues de Chaunac, former team manager of F1 team AGS. Oreca has had success in many areas of motorsport including Formula Three where drivers including Alain Prost, Jacques Laffite and Jean Alesi have won the French Formula Three Championship for...
cooperates with the WTCC team. SEAT's UK team followed suit in the 2008 BTCC. The BTCC team was sponsored by Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
.
In 2007, SEAT – with the León Mk2 TDI at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben
Motorsport Arena Oschersleben
The Motorsport Arena Oschersleben is long race track with a width of 11 – 13 meters and elevation changes of 23 metres. The circuit is located in Oschersleben, Börde , Northern Germany...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
– became the first manufacturer to win a round of the World Touring Car Championship
World Touring Car Championship
For the video game, known as World Touring Car Championship in Japan, see TOCA World Touring CarsThe FIA World Touring Car Championship is an international Touring Car championship sanctioned by the FIA.-History:...
(WTCC) series in a diesel car, only a month after announcing it will enter the FIA
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is a non-profit association established as the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users...
World Touring Car Championship with the León TDI. SEAT's success with the León TDI was continued, and resulted in winning consecutively 2008 World Touring Car Championship
2008 World Touring Car Championship season
The 2008 World Touring Car Championship season was the fifth World Touring Car Championship season, the fourth since its 2005 return. It began on March 2, and ended on November 16, after twenty-four races...
and 2009 World Touring Car Championship
2009 World Touring Car Championship season
The 2009 World Touring Car Championship season was the sixth FIA World Touring Car Championship season, the fifth since its 2005 return. It began on March 8, and ended on November 22, after twenty-four races...
both titles (for drivers' as well as for manufacturers').
On 11 September 2008 SEAT UK announced that it was to withdraw from all motor sport activity in the UK at the end of the season. The SEAT Cupra Championship and the SEAT BTCC campaign are to end at Brands Hatch on 21 September. BTCC drivers Jason Plato and Darren Turner have been left without drives for 2009. But Plato will drive for Silverline Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
.
At the opening of the 2009 WTCC, SEAT placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in both races in Brazil. At the second meeting of the WTCC (in Mexico), the SEAT team placed 1st, 4th, 6th, 7th and 11th in the first race. The second race they placed 1st, 3rd, 7th, and 8th. While SEAT may have withdrawn from the BTCC, they are showing impressive results in the WTCC.
Grand tourer cars
In 2003 the SEAT Sport division presented at the Barcelona Motor Show first as a concept car and later the final version of the SEAT Cupra GTSEAT Cupra GT
The SEAT Cupra GT is a GT race car made by SEAT and introduced in a world premiere first as a concept car on 24 April 2003 at the Barcelona Motor Show...
race car, which was produced in limited series on customer demand addressed to expertised individuals and racing teams willing to take part in race events.
The Cupra GT was chosen as a GT race car from racing teams, like the Sunred Engineering (SunRED)
SUNRED Engineering
Sunred is a Spanish-based auto racing team and constructor. They are best known for competing in the World Touring Car Championship.-Racing History:...
team, making its debut in 2004 in the Spanish GT Championship
Spanish GT Championship
The Spanish GT Championship is a Spanish auto racing series founded in 1999 and organised by the GT Sport Organización. The series runs multiple classes of grand tourer cars in events around Spain and Portugal...
, and took part in several Grand tourer
Grand tourer
A grand tourer is a high-performance luxury automobile designed for long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement....
circuits not only in Spain but also run in tracks abroad like those of Monza
Autodromo Nazionale Monza
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track located near the town of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. The circuit's biggest event is the Formula One Italian Grand Prix, which has been hosted there since the sport's inception....
and Magny-Cours
Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours
Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours is a motor racing circuit located in central France, near the towns of Magny-Cours and Nevers, some 250 km from Paris...
.
Formula
In 1970 SEAT set up the 'Fórmula Nacional' series in Spain, a year later to be known as 'Fórmula 1430'. The single seater formula cars, which took part driven by young Spanish drivers, were equipped under support from SEAT with engines of the 1430 model and 6700 gearboxes. The first race of the 'Fórmula Nacional' series took place at the Jarama circuit in Madrid.Current model range
| Mii SEAT Mii The SEAT Mii is a small car produced by the Spanish manufacturer SEAT officially presented on October 2011, part of the Volkswagen Group New Small Family series of models. SEAT Mii production started in 2011, and the car will be launched in the European market with its sales starting in the fourth... |
Ibiza SEAT Ibiza The SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range.... |
León SEAT León The SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A. since October 1998.The two León generations are, or have been built upon two differing variants of the Volkswagen Group A platform, and they also share many other components with... |
Altea SEAT Altea The SEAT Altea is a compact MPV produced by Spanish automaker SEAT, S.A. and named after Altea, Spain. The vehicle was designed by the Italian Walter de'Silva and launched in 2004 as the first example of SEAT's new corporate look... |
Altea XL SEAT Altea The SEAT Altea is a compact MPV produced by Spanish automaker SEAT, S.A. and named after Altea, Spain. The vehicle was designed by the Italian Walter de'Silva and launched in 2004 as the first example of SEAT's new corporate look... |
Exeo SEAT Exeo The SEAT Exeo is a five-seat large family car, and flagship model, built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A., with factory production commencing in December 2008.... |
Alhambra SEAT Alhambra The SEAT Alhambra is a large 7-seat MPV by the Volkswagen Group, sold under the SEAT brand.The Alhambra already spans two generations since 1996, and both of them are built at the AutoEuropa plant in Palmela, Portugal... |
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| City car City car A city car is a small car intended for use primarily in an urban area.City cars are sold worldwide and most automotive industry manufacturers have one or two in their line-up. In North-America city cars are often referred to simply as "subcompacts" alongside the superminis. These kind of cars... |
Supermini Supermini A superminicomputer, or supermini, is “a minicomputer with high performance compared to ordinary minicomputers.” The term was an invention used from the mid-1970s mainly to distinguish the emerging 32-bit minis from the classical 16-bit minicomputers... |
Small family car Compact car A compact car , or small family car , is a classification of cars which are larger than a supermini but smaller than or equal to a mid-size car... |
Compact MPV Compact MPV A compact MPV is a car classification used in Europe to describe multi-purpose vehicle versions of small family cars , fitting between the mini MPV and large MPV sub-segments... |
Compact MPV Compact MPV A compact MPV is a car classification used in Europe to describe multi-purpose vehicle versions of small family cars , fitting between the mini MPV and large MPV sub-segments... |
Large family car Large family car A large family car, also known as a D-segment car, is a European automobile classification which is larger than a small family car and smaller than an executive car. Multi-purpose vehicles based on a large family car design are often called large MPVs, while similarly-priced models from luxury car... |
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FR models
| Ibiza FR SEAT Ibiza The SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range.... |
León FR/FR+ SEAT Ibiza The SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range.... |
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Cupra models
| Ibiza Cupra SEAT Ibiza The SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range.... |
Ibiza Cupra Boncanegra SEAT Ibiza The SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range.... |
León Cupra R SEAT Ibiza The SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range.... |
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Nomenclature
SEAT's corporate tradition, as a Volkswagen Group subsidiary, has it that the nomenclature for a great number of models in its range gets inspired from the Spanish culture. For this purpose, a large number of SEAT's production models have been named after cities of SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(e.g. Arosa
SEAT Arosa
The SEAT Arosa is a city car from the Spanish automaker SEAT, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, built between 1997 and 2004. The pre-facelift model debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1997, while its facelifted model was presented at the Paris Motor Show in Autumn 2000 and was in...
, Ibiza
SEAT Ibiza
The SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range....
, Córdoba
SEAT Córdoba
The first generation SEAT Córdoba was presented at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show and launched in the summer of the same year, penned by Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and based on the chassis of the SEAT Ibiza Mk2 which would spawn the Volkswagen Polo Mk3 the following year.Its 1.4, 1.6, 1.8...
, León
SEAT León
The SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A. since October 1998.The two León generations are, or have been built upon two differing variants of the Volkswagen Group A platform, and they also share many other components with...
, Toledo
SEAT Toledo
The second generation Toledo was introduced in 1998 and made its debut at the 1998 Paris Motor Show as a four-door notchback sedan. It was more rounded than the previous first generation shape and had a much more fluid design, although both were products of Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign studio...
, Altea
SEAT Altea
The SEAT Altea is a compact MPV produced by Spanish automaker SEAT, S.A. and named after Altea, Spain. The vehicle was designed by the Italian Walter de'Silva and launched in 2004 as the first example of SEAT's new corporate look...
, Alhambra
SEAT Alhambra
The SEAT Alhambra is a large 7-seat MPV by the Volkswagen Group, sold under the SEAT brand.The Alhambra already spans two generations since 1996, and both of them are built at the AutoEuropa plant in Palmela, Portugal...
, Málaga
SEAT Málaga
The SEAT Málaga is a four-door saloon produced by the Spanish automaker SEAT from 1985 to 1992, named after the city of Málaga in Andalucía, southern Spain....
, Marbella
SEAT Marbella
The SEAT Panda was a badge-engineered Fiat Panda produced by SEAT from 1980 to 1986, in the company's Landaben plant in the Spanish city of Pamplona-Navarra and also in the firm's Zona Franca plant in Barcelona...
, Ronda
SEAT Ronda
The SEAT Ronda is a small family car produced by the Spanish automaker SEAT from 1982 to 1986, and styled by Rayton Fissore in collaboration with the Technical Centre in Martorell...
etc.).
However there have been several cases where the denomination for a specific model did not derive directly from the Spanish heritage of the marque. As an example given making this exception, the name for the SEAT Exeo
SEAT Exeo
The SEAT Exeo is a five-seat large family car, and flagship model, built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A., with factory production commencing in December 2008....
— the most recently added model to the brand's range — was influenced from the Latin word ‘exire’ which means 'to go beyond'.
Following the marque's trend in production models, in many cases of concept cars too the names adopted were those either of Hispanic dances (e.g. Tango
SEAT Tango
The SEAT Tango roadster is a concept car presented at the 2001 Frankfurt Motor Show, designed by a team directed by Walter de Silva with the contribution of SEAT's chief of exterior design, Steve Lewis...
, Bolero
SEAT Bolero
The SEAT Bolero 330 BT is a concept car presented at the 1998 Geneva Salon International de l’Auto . It is featuring a four-seater, four-door sports-coupé inspired family saloon car body style...
, Salsa
SEAT Salsa
The SEAT Salsa is a concept car presented at the 2000 Geneva Motor Show, as a foretaste of SEAT's new design line under Walter de'Silva. Featuring a three-door coupé body style, it is powered by a 2.8L 24 valve V6 engine....
) or abbreviations still related to production models (e.g. IBZ for Ibiza, IBE for 'Ibiza Eléctrico', TL for Toledo etc.) or even names reminiscent of SEAT's sporting roots in the past (e.g. Fórmula
SEAT Fórmula
The SEAT Fórmula is a rear-wheel drive mid-engined roadster concept car developed by the Spanish carmaker SEAT initially aimed at limited car production...
, Cupra GT
SEAT Cupra GT
The SEAT Cupra GT is a GT race car made by SEAT and introduced in a world premiere first as a concept car on 24 April 2003 at the Barcelona Motor Show...
) .
Moreover in the recent years, there have been special versions in the production models' specific ranges carrying attachments such as SC (standing for SportCoupé ) or ST (for SportTourer ) discriminating relatively the 3-door and the estate versions from the standard 4/5-door ones, while the terms Cupra (for Cup Racing ) and FR (for Fórmula Racing ) have been used for the top-engine hardcore cars in the range, signalising SEAT's positioning as a sporty brand involved in the racetracks.
As a reminder from the past also comes the iconic 'Bocanegra' name, meaning 'black mouth' in Spanish, which accompanies the Ibiza model and has its origins in the SEAT 1200 Sport
SEAT 1200 Sport
The SEAT 1200 Sport is a 2-door 4-seater coupé presented officially by SEAT in December 1975 and commercially launched from February 1976 to September 1979. Its huge importance for SEAT lied on the fact it was the first model of the Spanish brand entirely developed in its newly-opened Martorell...
, the original 'SEAT Bocanegra' due to its black painted fascia in the front.
Sub-ranges
'Ecomotive' rangeAlmost every model in SEAT's range has an 'Ecomotive' derivative version, which in comparison to the standard version has a more eco-friendly tuning.
Reduction of weight, low-resistance tyres, new aerodynamics, tweaks in the suspension, as well as changes made to the engine's electronic management software with an additional implementation of a maintenance-free Diesel Particle Filter (DPF) for the diesel engines, also updates in the gearbox and the gear ratios with a gearshift indicator in the dash panel reminding when it is the proper time to change gears, combined with an engine 'Start/Stop system' and an 'Energy Recuperation system' are some of the modifications adopted in the Ecomotive range in order to cut down both fuel consumption and emissions. The result is a range with some of the cleanest models featuring an improvement not only in gas and particles emissions but also in fuel economy, without big compromise in the vehicle's dynamic performance or practicality; for example the SEAT Ibiza
SEAT Ibiza
The SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range....
Ecomotive 1.4 TDI has emissions coming up at 98 g/km and still it comes even faster from 0 to 100 km/h than the standard version featuring a 5-door body and air-conditioning , while the SEAT León
SEAT León
The SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A. since October 1998.The two León generations are, or have been built upon two differing variants of the Volkswagen Group A platform, and they also share many other components with...
Ecomotive's emissions are among the lowest in its segment too and raise up to 99 g/km.
Up to the present, the Ecomotive range has been renowned in many occasions.
In 2008, the Ibiza
SEAT Ibiza
The SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range....
Ecomotive has been declared on top of the Verkehrs-Club Deutschland’s 2008/2009 list in the “environmentally beneficial vehicle” category and in the 10th Eco Tour not only it has won in the small diesel class but also proved to be the overall winner of all categories. In that specific year the SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive was also awarded with the 'Ecobest 2008' award by the Autobest organisation and the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag named it the 'most economic car of its class in the world'.
The year 2009 has been the one when once more the Ibiza Ecomotive was nominated for the 'Green Steering wheel' award in Switzerland, and has set two consecutive times a new world record on fuel saving with a single tank, certified by the IPMC (International Police Motor Corporation) : the first when the Austrian Gerhard Plattner drove from Martorell (Spain) to Göttingen (Germany) with an average fuel consumption of 2.9 l/100 km and the second time in his route from Cieszyn (Poland) to Frankfurt (Germany) having achieved the world record in fuel consumption of 2,34 /100 km (or 100 mpg U.S.) covering a distance of 1,910 km on a single tank.
'MultiFuel' range
The MultiFuel range consists in the introduction of the flexible-fuel vehicle
Flexible-fuel vehicle
A flexible-fuel vehicle or dual-fuel vehicle is an alternative fuel vehicle with an internal combustion engine designed to run on more than one fuel, usually gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol fuel, and both fuels are stored in the same common tank...
bio-ethanol technology in selected SEAT models — i.e., the SEAT León MultiFuel
SEAT León
The SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A. since October 1998.The two León generations are, or have been built upon two differing variants of the Volkswagen Group A platform, and they also share many other components with...
, the SEAT Altea MultiFuel
SEAT Altea
The SEAT Altea is a compact MPV produced by Spanish automaker SEAT, S.A. and named after Altea, Spain. The vehicle was designed by the Italian Walter de'Silva and launched in 2004 as the first example of SEAT's new corporate look...
and the SEAT Altea XL MultiFuel — with the implementation of the 1.6 MPI MultiFuel E85 motor, capable of producing exactly the same horsepower (102 bhp) just like the relevant pure petrol version of the engine.
Sales and production figures
Since its beginnings in 1953, more than 16 million SEAT cars have been produced with the most successful product in the range being the SEAT Ibiza, a model which has sold over 4 million units in its four generations up to the present.In the year 2009, the total annual retail sales number of SEAT cars was 336,683 vehicles, while the annual production of vehicles under the SEAT brand came up to 307,502 units (301,287 made in SEAT's Martorell plant and 6,215 in other Volkswagen group's factories).
The total production per year of SEAT cars, manufactured in SEAT and other Volkswagen group's plants, is shown in the following table (not comprising cars of other Volkswagen group's brands, produced in SEAT-owned facilities) :
| Model | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEAT Marbella SEAT Marbella The SEAT Panda was a badge-engineered Fiat Panda produced by SEAT from 1980 to 1986, in the company's Landaben plant in the Spanish city of Pamplona-Navarra and also in the firm's Zona Franca plant in Barcelona... |
2,337 | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— |
| SEAT Arosa SEAT Arosa The SEAT Arosa is a city car from the Spanish automaker SEAT, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, built between 1997 and 2004. The pre-facelift model debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1997, while its facelifted model was presented at the Paris Motor Show in Autumn 2000 and was in... |
38,338 | 46,410 | 28,403 | 22,980 | 19,627 | 13,814 | 9,368 | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— |
| SEAT Ibiza / SEAT Ibiza SC / SEAT Ibiza ST SEAT Ibiza The SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range.... |
180,775 | 194,245 | 199,279 | 188,427 | 197,311 | 220,497 | 183,754 | 168,645 | 183,848 | 172,206 | 192,470 | 173,715 | 189,083 |
| SEAT Inca SEAT Inca The SEAT Inca is a panel van, manufactured between 1996 and 2003. It was designed and assembled in Spain by SEAT, and based upon the SEAT Ibiza Mk2.... |
17,226 | 19,221 | 16,328 | 15,207 | 11,802 | 7,982 | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— |
| SEAT Inca Kombi SEAT Inca The SEAT Inca is a panel van, manufactured between 1996 and 2003. It was designed and assembled in Spain by SEAT, and based upon the SEAT Ibiza Mk2.... |
7,708 | 8,573 | 5,534 | 5,316 | 3,879 | 2,150 | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— |
| SEAT Córdoba / SEAT Córdoba Vario SEAT Córdoba The first generation SEAT Córdoba was presented at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show and launched in the summer of the same year, penned by Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and based on the chassis of the SEAT Ibiza Mk2 which would spawn the Volkswagen Polo Mk3 the following year.Its 1.4, 1.6, 1.8... |
108,749 | 111,894 | 97,685 | 78,770 | 58,646 | 59,348 | 46,821 | 37,568 | 31,058 | 29,747 | 20,439 | 4,861 | |— |
| SEAT León SEAT León The SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A. since October 1998.The two León generations are, or have been built upon two differing variants of the Volkswagen Group A platform, and they also share many other components with... |
— | 6,080 | 93,123 | 91,939 | 93,606 | 96,536 | 90,850 | 98,130 | 126,511 | 120,630 | 96,761 | 66,368 | 79,462 |
| SEAT Altea / SEAT Altea XL / SEAT Altea Freetrack SEAT Altea The SEAT Altea is a compact MPV produced by Spanish automaker SEAT, S.A. and named after Altea, Spain. The vehicle was designed by the Italian Walter de'Silva and launched in 2004 as the first example of SEAT's new corporate look... |
— | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— | 67,125 | 65,174 | 58,288 | 71,377 | 54,770 | 32,791 | 43,351 |
| SEAT Toledo SEAT Toledo The second generation Toledo was introduced in 1998 and made its debut at the 1998 Paris Motor Show as a four-door notchback sedan. It was more rounded than the previous first generation shape and had a much more fluid design, although both were products of Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign studio... |
42,325 | 105,818 | 59,480 | 47,645 | 39,503 | 36,026 | 38,962 | 20,600 | 8,613 | 4,744 | 5,484 | 571 | |— |
| SEAT Exeo / SEAT Exeo ST SEAT Exeo The SEAT Exeo is a five-seat large family car, and flagship model, built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A., with factory production commencing in December 2008.... |
— | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— | |— | 369 | 22,981 | 23,108 |
| SEAT Alhambra SEAT Alhambra The SEAT Alhambra is a large 7-seat MPV by the Volkswagen Group, sold under the SEAT brand.The Alhambra already spans two generations since 1996, and both of them are built at the AutoEuropa plant in Palmela, Portugal... |
21,300 | 27,440 | 23,924 | 26,524 | 26,308 | 23,693 | 21,580 | 14,902 | 14,352 | 14,242 | 10,282 | 6,215 | 10,023 |
| Total annual production | 418,758 | 519,681 | 523,756 | 476,808 | 450,682 | 460,046 | 458,460 | 405,019 | 422,670 | 412,946 | 380,575 | 307,502 | 345,027 |
Rebadges
Under Volkswagen Group's ownership, numerous SEAT models have been rebadged under other brands, either inside the Volkswagen Group's portfolio or out of it.In particular some examples, concerning the rebadges deriving from SEAT models and being carried out under other Volkswagen Group's brands, are the SEAT Ibiza Mk2
SEAT Ibiza
The SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range....
which has been rebadged under the VW brand as the VW Polo Playa, the SEAT Córdoba Mk1
SEAT Córdoba
The first generation SEAT Córdoba was presented at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show and launched in the summer of the same year, penned by Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and based on the chassis of the SEAT Ibiza Mk2 which would spawn the Volkswagen Polo Mk3 the following year.Its 1.4, 1.6, 1.8...
rebadged as the VW Polo Classic
Volkswagen Polo Mk3
The Volkswagen Polo Mk3 is the third generation of the Volkswagen Polo supermini, produced from 1994 until late 1999 and some in 2000. It was produced in two forms, the initial car being known as the Mark 4 or IIII, and the facelifted version known as the Mark 4 Phase II or unofficially as the...
— FAW-VW City-Golf — VW Derby, the SEAT Arosa
SEAT Arosa
The SEAT Arosa is a city car from the Spanish automaker SEAT, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, built between 1997 and 2004. The pre-facelift model debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1997, while its facelifted model was presented at the Paris Motor Show in Autumn 2000 and was in...
as the VW Lupo, and the SEAT Inca
SEAT Inca
The SEAT Inca is a panel van, manufactured between 1996 and 2003. It was designed and assembled in Spain by SEAT, and based upon the SEAT Ibiza Mk2....
as the VW Caddy.
Further rebadges have come under non Volkswagen Group brand ranges and some notable examples are the SEAT Ibiza Mk1
SEAT Ibiza
The SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range....
which has been rebadged as the Nanjing Yuejin Eagle NJ6400-Unique NJ6400-Soyat NJ7150-Soyat Unique NJ1020, and the SEAT Toledo Mk1
SEAT Toledo
The second generation Toledo was introduced in 1998 and made its debut at the 1998 Paris Motor Show as a four-door notchback sedan. It was more rounded than the previous first generation shape and had a much more fluid design, although both were products of Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign studio...
as the Chery A11-Fulwin-Fengyun-Windcloud
Chery A11
The Chery Windcloud , also known as Fulwin or Fengyun, is Chery Automobile's first car.It is essentially a rebadged first generation SEAT Toledo, a model which was built by SEAT - i.e...
— Chery A15-A168-Amulet-Cowin-Qiyun-Flagcloud
Chery A15
The Chery Cowin , also known as Flagcloud or Amulet, is a 5 door, 1,600 cc petrol engine liftback produced in Wuhu, Anhui, China and Russia, Ukraine, Iran and Malaysia by Chery Automobile....
— Vortex Corda
TagAZ
TagAZ is an automotive assembly plant located in Taganrog, Russia. Affiliated enterprises are the Rostov Truck Factory.- History :Construction of the Taganrog Automotive Plant began in Spring 1997, under license and technology of South Korean Daewoo Motors, and was fully financed by Doninvest...
.
On the other hand, several SEAT models have derived as rebadges coming from other Volkswagen Group's brands such as the SEAT Alhambra Mk1 and Mk2
SEAT Alhambra
The SEAT Alhambra is a large 7-seat MPV by the Volkswagen Group, sold under the SEAT brand.The Alhambra already spans two generations since 1996, and both of them are built at the AutoEuropa plant in Palmela, Portugal...
respectively from the VW Sharan Mk1 and Mk2 (the first generation resulting after a joint venture of the Volkswagen Group together with Ford
Ford Galaxy
The first Galaxy was designed as a joint venture product between Ford and the Volkswagen Group. Produced at the joint-venture AutoEuropa plant in Palmela, Portugal, the vehicle was badge-engineered to create three vehicles: the Ford Galaxy; by Volkswagen Passenger Cars as the Volkswagen Sharan;...
) and the SEAT Exeo
SEAT Exeo
The SEAT Exeo is a five-seat large family car, and flagship model, built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A., with factory production commencing in December 2008....
from the Audi A4 B7
Audi A4
The first generation Audi A4 debuted in 1994, with production starting November 1994. It was built on the Volkswagen Group B5 platform, which it shared with the fourth generation Volkswagen Passat . It had a front-mounted longitudinal engine and front-wheel drive...
.
Tuning companies
Several tuning companies have produced modified or high-performance versions of various SEAT models,some significant examples among those being Abt Sportsline
Abt Sportsline
Abt Sportsline is a motor racing and auto tuning company based in Kempten im Allgäu, Germany. Abt mainly deals with Audi, and the related primary Volkswagen Group brands - Volkswagen, Škoda, and SEAT.-History:...
, Je Design
Je Design
JE DESIGN GmbH is a German car tuning manufacturer. They specialise in the four primary brands of Volkswagen Group, namely Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, and Škoda cars....
, MTM (Motoren Technik Mayer), Abarth
Abarth
Abarth is an Italian racing car maker founded by Austrian-Italian Carlo Abarth and Italian Armando Scagliarini in Turin in 1949. Its logo depicts a stylized scorpion on a red and yellow background.- History :...
, Emelba, Annibal etc.
Earlier models
- 1400 A / 1400 B / 1400 CSEAT 1400The SEAT 1400 was a rear-wheel drive four door sedan mid-size car launched by the Spanish car maker SEAT between 1953 and 1963, the first model ever produced by SEAT and the first car to be assembled at the firm's new plant located in Barcelona's Zona Franca zone.The car was a rebranded Fiat 1400,...
( 1953–1963 ) - 600 N / 600 D / 600 E / 600 LSEAT 600The SEAT 600 was a Spanish car made by SEAT from May 1957 to August 1973. It helped to start the economic boom, the Spanish Miracle , that came at the end of the slow recovery from the Spanish Civil War...
( 1957–1973 ) - 1500 / 1500 FamiliarSEAT 1500The SEAT 1500 was a Spanish-built 6-seater model of saloon and estate cars, based on the Italian Fiat 1800. The 1500 was the successor to the SEAT 1400 C: it was manufactured between 1963 and 1972, with the five door estate version arriving in 1965...
( 1963–1972 ) - 800SEAT 600The SEAT 600 was a Spanish car made by SEAT from May 1957 to August 1973. It helped to start the economic boom, the Spanish Miracle , that came at the end of the slow recovery from the Spanish Civil War...
( 1963–1968 ) - 850 (2/4-doors)SEAT 850The SEAT 850 was a car launched in 1966, based upon the Fiat 850. Originally only available with the same 2-door sedan body as used in Italy, two different 4-door versions also appeared in 1967...
( 1966–1974 ) - 850 CoupéSEAT 850The SEAT 850 was a car launched in 1966, based upon the Fiat 850. Originally only available with the same 2-door sedan body as used in Italy, two different 4-door versions also appeared in 1967...
( 1967–1972 ) - 850 SpyderSEAT 850The SEAT 850 was a car launched in 1966, based upon the Fiat 850. Originally only available with the same 2-door sedan body as used in Italy, two different 4-door versions also appeared in 1967...
( 1970–1972 ) - 850 Sport CoupéSEAT 850The SEAT 850 was a car launched in 1966, based upon the Fiat 850. Originally only available with the same 2-door sedan body as used in Italy, two different 4-door versions also appeared in 1967...
( 1967 ) - 124 / 124 FamiliarSEAT 124The SEAT 124 is a mid-sized family car produced by the Spanish manufacturer SEAT in its Barcelona Zona Franca and Landaben Pamplona plants between 1968 and 1980...
( 1968–1980 ) - 1430SEAT 1430The SEAT 1430 was a 4-door sedan made by SEAT in Spain from 1969 to 1975. The car was based in the FIAT 124 Special, but the front lights were the square ones from the FIAT 125 instead of round. In 1973, the GTI version of the SEAT 1430 was introduced as the 1430 Especial 1600 model, popularly...
( 1969–1975 ) - 124 SportSEAT 124 SportThe SEAT 124 Sport is a 2-door Coupé car built by the Spanish manufacturer SEAT between 1970 and 1974, having sold 23,611 units when its production ceased....
( 1970–1974 ) - 127SEAT 127The SEAT 127 is a supermini produced by the Spanish automaker SEAT between 1972 and 1982.Due to SEAT design policy, a 4-door variant of the car was produced. SEAT also produced a unique variant of the 127 OHV engine. This had 1,010 cc instead of 903 cc and produced .When their licence...
( 1972–1982 ) - 132SEAT 132The SEAT 132 is a four-door rear-wheel drive notchback saloon presented for the first time at the Barcelona Motor Show, assembled in Barcelona's Zona Franca, and sold by SEAT between 1973 and 1982....
( 1973–1982 ) - 133SEAT 133The SEAT 133 was a small rear-engine car designed and sold by SEAT in Spain from 1974 to 1979. The car used the chassis and engine of the by then defunct Fiat/SEAT 850 and featured a new body in the style of the contemporary, somewhat smaller and only indirectly related Fiat 126.The car was first...
( 1974–1981 ) - 131 / 131 FamiliarSEAT 131The SEAT 131 is a small/medium family car produced by the Spanish car manufacturer SEAT from 1975 to the middle of 1982. The SEAT 131 was presented on May 1975 in the Barcelona Motor Show as a response to the consumers' demand for greater fuel economy combined with spaciousness, under the raising...
( 1975–1983 ) - 1200 SportSEAT 1200 SportThe SEAT 1200 Sport is a 2-door 4-seater coupé presented officially by SEAT in December 1975 and commercially launched from February 1976 to September 1979. Its huge importance for SEAT lied on the fact it was the first model of the Spanish brand entirely developed in its newly-opened Martorell...
( 1975–1981 ) - 128SEAT 128The SEAT 128 is a 3-door hatchback coupé from the Spanish automaker SEAT launched in 1976. Being essentially the three-door hatchback version of the Fiat 128, it was available with two engine options in Spain, the 1.2L and the more powerful and well-known 1430 engine...
( 1976–1980 ) - Ritmo ( 1979–1983 )
- Panda ( 1980–1986 )
- RondaSEAT RondaThe SEAT Ronda is a small family car produced by the Spanish automaker SEAT from 1982 to 1986, and styled by Rayton Fissore in collaboration with the Technical Centre in Martorell...
( 1982–1986 ) - Trans ( 1982–1986 )
- Fura (3/5-doors)SEAT FuraThe SEAT Fura is a supermini produced by Spanish automaker SEAT from 1981 to 1986. The Fura is a rebadged version of the Fiat 127, available in three and five-door hatchback bodystyles....
( 1982–1986 ) - Ibiza Mk1 (3/5-doors)SEAT IbizaThe SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range....
( 1984–1993 ) - MálagaSEAT MálagaThe SEAT Málaga is a four-door saloon produced by the Spanish automaker SEAT from 1985 to 1992, named after the city of Málaga in Andalucía, southern Spain....
( 1985–1992 ) - Terra / Terra box ( 1987–1996 )
- Marbella / Marbella boxSEAT MarbellaThe SEAT Panda was a badge-engineered Fiat Panda produced by SEAT from 1980 to 1986, in the company's Landaben plant in the Spanish city of Pamplona-Navarra and also in the firm's Zona Franca plant in Barcelona...
( 1986–1998 ) - Toledo Mk1SEAT ToledoThe second generation Toledo was introduced in 1998 and made its debut at the 1998 Paris Motor Show as a four-door notchback sedan. It was more rounded than the previous first generation shape and had a much more fluid design, although both were products of Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign studio...
( 1991–1998 ) - Ibiza Mk2 (3/5-doors)SEAT IbizaThe SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range....
( 1993–2002 ) - Córdoba / Córdoba SX / Córdoba Vario Mk1SEAT CórdobaThe first generation SEAT Córdoba was presented at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show and launched in the summer of the same year, penned by Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and based on the chassis of the SEAT Ibiza Mk2 which would spawn the Volkswagen Polo Mk3 the following year.Its 1.4, 1.6, 1.8...
( 1993–2002 ) - Inca Kombi / Inca VanSEAT IncaThe SEAT Inca is a panel van, manufactured between 1996 and 2003. It was designed and assembled in Spain by SEAT, and based upon the SEAT Ibiza Mk2....
( 1995–2003 ) - Alhambra Mk1SEAT AlhambraThe SEAT Alhambra is a large 7-seat MPV by the Volkswagen Group, sold under the SEAT brand.The Alhambra already spans two generations since 1996, and both of them are built at the AutoEuropa plant in Palmela, Portugal...
( 1996–2010 ) - ArosaSEAT ArosaThe SEAT Arosa is a city car from the Spanish automaker SEAT, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, built between 1997 and 2004. The pre-facelift model debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1997, while its facelifted model was presented at the Paris Motor Show in Autumn 2000 and was in...
( 1997–2004 ) - Toledo Mk2SEAT ToledoThe second generation Toledo was introduced in 1998 and made its debut at the 1998 Paris Motor Show as a four-door notchback sedan. It was more rounded than the previous first generation shape and had a much more fluid design, although both were products of Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign studio...
( 1998–2004 ) - León Mk1SEAT LeónThe SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A. since October 1998.The two León generations are, or have been built upon two differing variants of the Volkswagen Group A platform, and they also share many other components with...
( 1999–2005 ) - Ibiza Mk3 (3/5-doors)SEAT IbizaThe SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range....
( 2002–2008 ) - Córdoba Mk2SEAT CórdobaThe first generation SEAT Córdoba was presented at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show and launched in the summer of the same year, penned by Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and based on the chassis of the SEAT Ibiza Mk2 which would spawn the Volkswagen Polo Mk3 the following year.Its 1.4, 1.6, 1.8...
( 2002–2009 ) - Toledo Mk3SEAT ToledoThe second generation Toledo was introduced in 1998 and made its debut at the 1998 Paris Motor Show as a four-door notchback sedan. It was more rounded than the previous first generation shape and had a much more fluid design, although both were products of Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign studio...
( 2004–2009 )
Concept models
- 600SEAT 600The SEAT 600 was a Spanish car made by SEAT from May 1957 to August 1973. It helped to start the economic boom, the Spanish Miracle , that came at the end of the slow recovery from the Spanish Civil War...
prototype ( Geneva, 1955 ) - 750 Sport ( Barcelona, 1957 )
- 600 MultipleSEAT 600The SEAT 600 was a Spanish car made by SEAT from May 1957 to August 1973. It helped to start the economic boom, the Spanish Miracle , that came at the end of the slow recovery from the Spanish Civil War...
( Barcelona, 1959 ) - Proto TLDSEAT ProtoThe SEAT Proto T , the SEAT Proto C and the SEAT Proto TL are all concept cars designed for SEAT by Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign.-SEAT Proto T :...
( Turin, 1988 ) - Proto TSEAT ProtoThe SEAT Proto T , the SEAT Proto C and the SEAT Proto TL are all concept cars designed for SEAT by Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign.-SEAT Proto T :...
( Frankfurt, 1989 ) - Proto CSEAT ProtoThe SEAT Proto T , the SEAT Proto C and the SEAT Proto TL are all concept cars designed for SEAT by Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign.-SEAT Proto T :...
( Paris, 1990 ) - Proto TLSEAT ProtoThe SEAT Proto T , the SEAT Proto C and the SEAT Proto TL are all concept cars designed for SEAT by Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign.-SEAT Proto T :...
( Geneva, 1990 ) - Marbella PlayaSEAT MarbellaThe SEAT Panda was a badge-engineered Fiat Panda produced by SEAT from 1980 to 1986, in the company's Landaben plant in the Spanish city of Pamplona-Navarra and also in the firm's Zona Franca plant in Barcelona...
( Frankfurt, 1991 ) - Toledo Mk1SEAT ToledoThe second generation Toledo was introduced in 1998 and made its debut at the 1998 Paris Motor Show as a four-door notchback sedan. It was more rounded than the previous first generation shape and had a much more fluid design, although both were products of Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign studio...
electric ( 1992 ) - Concepto T CoupéSEAT Concepto TThe SEAT Concepto T Coupé as well as the SEAT Concepto T Cabrio are prototypes developed by the Spanish car maker SEAT, aiming to show the company's potential - under Volkswagen Group's ownership - over focusing on the creation of coupé and convertible body style vehicles...
( Paris, 1992 ) - Concepto T CabrioSEAT Concepto TThe SEAT Concepto T Coupé as well as the SEAT Concepto T Cabrio are prototypes developed by the Spanish car maker SEAT, aiming to show the company's potential - under Volkswagen Group's ownership - over focusing on the creation of coupé and convertible body style vehicles...
( Barcelona, 1993 ) - Ibiza Mk2SEAT IbizaThe SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range....
electric ( 1993 ) - IncaSEAT IncaThe SEAT Inca is a panel van, manufactured between 1996 and 2003. It was designed and assembled in Spain by SEAT, and based upon the SEAT Ibiza Mk2....
electric ( 1995 ) - AlhambraSEAT AlhambraThe SEAT Alhambra is a large 7-seat MPV by the Volkswagen Group, sold under the SEAT brand.The Alhambra already spans two generations since 1996, and both of them are built at the AutoEuropa plant in Palmela, Portugal...
prototype ( Geneva, 1995 ) - BoleroSEAT BoleroThe SEAT Bolero 330 BT is a concept car presented at the 1998 Geneva Salon International de l’Auto . It is featuring a four-seater, four-door sports-coupé inspired family saloon car body style...
( Geneva, 1998 ) - Toledo CupraSEAT ToledoThe second generation Toledo was introduced in 1998 and made its debut at the 1998 Paris Motor Show as a four-door notchback sedan. It was more rounded than the previous first generation shape and had a much more fluid design, although both were products of Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign studio...
concept ( 1999 ) - FórmulaSEAT FórmulaThe SEAT Fórmula is a rear-wheel drive mid-engined roadster concept car developed by the Spanish carmaker SEAT initially aimed at limited car production...
( Geneva, 1999 ) - SalsaSEAT SalsaThe SEAT Salsa is a concept car presented at the 2000 Geneva Motor Show, as a foretaste of SEAT's new design line under Walter de'Silva. Featuring a three-door coupé body style, it is powered by a 2.8L 24 valve V6 engine....
( Geneva, 2000 ) - Salsa EmociónSEAT SalsaThe SEAT Salsa is a concept car presented at the 2000 Geneva Motor Show, as a foretaste of SEAT's new design line under Walter de'Silva. Featuring a three-door coupé body style, it is powered by a 2.8L 24 valve V6 engine....
( Paris, 2000 ) - León Cupra RSEAT LeónThe SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A. since October 1998.The two León generations are, or have been built upon two differing variants of the Volkswagen Group A platform, and they also share many other components with...
concept ( Barcelona, 2001 ) - Tango roadster/Tango spyder/Tango coupé/Tango RacerSEAT TangoThe SEAT Tango roadster is a concept car presented at the 2001 Frankfurt Motor Show, designed by a team directed by Walter de Silva with the contribution of SEAT's chief of exterior design, Steve Lewis...
( Frankfurt, 2001 ) - Arosa City cruiserSEAT ArosaThe SEAT Arosa is a city car from the Spanish automaker SEAT, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, built between 1997 and 2004. The pre-facelift model debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1997, while its facelifted model was presented at the Paris Motor Show in Autumn 2000 and was in...
( Frankfurt, 2001 ) - Arosa RacerSEAT ArosaThe SEAT Arosa is a city car from the Spanish automaker SEAT, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, built between 1997 and 2004. The pre-facelift model debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1997, while its facelifted model was presented at the Paris Motor Show in Autumn 2000 and was in...
( Frankfurt, 2001 ) - Altea PrototipoSEAT Altea PrototipoThe SEAT Altea Prototipo is a 2+2 seater concept car presented by SEAT for the first time at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show, the first SEAT model to be produced inside the Audi brand group unveiled with the aim to give a preview of the SEAT Altea's definitive road version which was meant to be...
( Frankfurt, 2003 ) - Cupra GTSEAT Cupra GTThe SEAT Cupra GT is a GT race car made by SEAT and introduced in a world premiere first as a concept car on 24 April 2003 at the Barcelona Motor Show...
( Barcelona, 2003 ) - ToledoSEAT ToledoThe second generation Toledo was introduced in 1998 and made its debut at the 1998 Paris Motor Show as a four-door notchback sedan. It was more rounded than the previous first generation shape and had a much more fluid design, although both were products of Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign studio...
Prototipo ( Madrid, 2004 ) - LeónSEAT LeónThe SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A. since October 1998.The two León generations are, or have been built upon two differing variants of the Volkswagen Group A platform, and they also share many other components with...
Prototipo ( Geneva, 2005 ) - Altea FRSEAT AlteaThe SEAT Altea is a compact MPV produced by Spanish automaker SEAT, S.A. and named after Altea, Spain. The vehicle was designed by the Italian Walter de'Silva and launched in 2004 as the first example of SEAT's new corporate look...
Prototipo ( Frankfurt, 2005 ) - AlteaSEAT AlteaThe SEAT Altea is a compact MPV produced by Spanish automaker SEAT, S.A. and named after Altea, Spain. The vehicle was designed by the Italian Walter de'Silva and launched in 2004 as the first example of SEAT's new corporate look...
2 litre 170 hp TDI prototype ( 2005 ) - Ibiza VaillanteSEAT IbizaThe SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range....
concept ( Geneva, 2006 ) - León Pies DescalzosSEAT LeónThe SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A. since October 1998.The two León generations are, or have been built upon two differing variants of the Volkswagen Group A platform, and they also share many other components with...
( Berlin, 2007 ) - Altea Freetrack Prototipo ( Geneva, 2007 )
- TribuSEAT TribuThe SEAT Tribu is a compact crossover SUV anticipated to be built by the Spanish automaker SEAT, S.A. .-SEAT Tribu concept car:The first time when the Tribu name was used by SEAT was at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show for a concept car which featured three doors and four bucket seats...
concept ( Frankfurt, 2007 ) - BocanegraSEAT Bocanegra-SEAT Bocanegra concept car:The SEAT Bocanegra is a three-door supermini concept car, built by the Spanish automaker SEAT and designed by former Lamborghini designer Luc Donckerwolke who at the moment had been assigned SEAT's design director....
( Geneva, 2008 ) - León EcomotiveSEAT LeónThe SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A. since October 1998.The two León generations are, or have been built upon two differing variants of the Volkswagen Group A platform, and they also share many other components with...
concept ( Geneva, 2009 ) - León Twin driveSEAT León Twin driveThe SEAT León Twin drive concept car is an electrically driven vehicle prototype presented at the SEAT Martorell facilities on May 2009 in front of Spanish officials as well as members of Volkswagen’s Executive committee, based on a second generation SEAT León that features modified gearbox, power...
( Martorell, 2009 ) - IBZSEAT IbizaThe SEAT Ibiza is a car in the European supermini class, constructed by the Spanish car maker SEAT S.A., is SEAT's best-selling car and perhaps the most popular model in the Spanish firm's range....
concept ( Frankfurt, 2009 ) - IBESEAT IBEThe SEAT IBE is an electric concept car that was first presented by the Spanish brand SEAT at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, with a second version being introduced a few months later at the 2010 Paris Motor Show...
concept I ( Geneva, 2010 ) - IBESEAT IBEThe SEAT IBE is an electric concept car that was first presented by the Spanish brand SEAT at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, with a second version being introduced a few months later at the 2010 Paris Motor Show...
concept II ( Paris, 2010 ) - IBX concept ( Geneva, 2011 )
- IBL concept ( Frankfurt, 2011 )
Future models
According to the president of SEAT James Muir in an interview to the Spanish daily newspaper El MundoEl Mundo (Spain)
El Mundo is the second largest printed and the largest digital daily newspaper in Spain and one of the newspapers of record in that country, with a daily circulation topping 300,000 readers for the printed edition and 24 million unique web visitors per month for the...
on October 2010,
SEAT scheduling comprises the following future models in the near future:
- SEAT León Mk3 (3-door/5-door/estate)
- SEAT small family car (Berlina segmento C rumoured to be the fourth-generation SEAT Toledo)
- SEAT Exeo Mk2
There is still thinking of a compact MPV
Compact MPV
A compact MPV is a car classification used in Europe to describe multi-purpose vehicle versions of small family cars , fitting between the mini MPV and large MPV sub-segments...
car successor to the Altea, and a SUV model on the basis of the SEAT IBX concept car.
Leadership
Today as a Volkswagen group's subsidiary, SEAT's leading people are appointed after approval from the group's supervisory board.| From | To | Person(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | May 1967 | José Ortiz Echagüe |
| May 1967 | February 1977 | Juan Sánchez Cortés |
| February 1977 | December 1983 | Juan Miguel Antoñanzas Pérez-Egea |
| January 1984 | September 1993 | Juan Antonio Díaz Álvarez |
| October 1993 | October 1993 | Peter Walzer |
| November 1993 | December 1996 | Juan Llorens Carrió |
| January 1997 | June 1999 | Pierre-Alain de Smedt |
| June 18, 1999 | June 30, 2000 | Bruno Adelt |
| July 1, 2000 | March 6, 2002 | Bernd Pischetsrieder Bernd Pischetsrieder Dr. Bernd Peter Pischetsrieder is a German automobile engineer and manager.He was born in Munich, Bavaria, and studied Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Munich from 1968 to 1972. He earned the degree of "Diplom-Ingenieur", and began his career at BMW in 1973 as a Production... |
| March 7, 2002 | September 30, 2006 | Andreas Schleef |
| October 1, 2006 | 31 August 2009 | Erich Schmitt |
| 1 September 2009 | present | James Muir |
Economic figures
| Year | After-tax result (in millions of euro Euro The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,... s) |
|---|---|
| 1996 | +32.088 |
| 1997 | +66.418 |
| 1998 | +147.020 |
| 1999 | +85.403 |
| 2000 | +87.348 |
| 2001 | +233.121 |
| 2002 | +202.965 |
| 2003 | +134.494 |
| 2004 | +144.957 |
| 2005 | -62.513 |
| 2006 | -49.088 |
| 2007 | +169.703 |
| 2008 | +44.400 |
| 2009 | -186.500 |
| 2010 | -103.900 |
Environmental policy
Electric and hybrid technology developmentSince the early 1990s, SEAT has developed and presented several prototypes with either full electric or hybrid powertrain, including the SEAT Toledo Mk1 electric model (1992), the SEAT Ibiza Mk2 electric car (1993), the SEAT Inca electric van (1995), the SEAT León Mk2 Twin drive (2009), the SEAT IBE concept (2010) and the SEAT IBX concept SUV (2011) hybrid cars.
‘SEAT al Sol’ project
The ‘SEAT al Sol’ project consists in the integration of use of solar power through a system of photovoltaic panels generating electricity in SEAT's factory in Martorell. The project is going to be carried through in collaboration with GA-Solar from the beginnings of 2010, covering a factory area of 320,000 m2 with a system of more than 10 MW of photovoltaic panels. This installation is expected to produce more than 13 million kwh of electricity annually, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by over 6,200 tonnes of per year.
‘Cenit verde’ project
The Cenit VERDE initiative is a research project backed by the CENIT (the National Strategic Consortia for Technical Research) programme and supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, in which SEAT plays a key role. Aiming at developing technologies, components and infrastructure for hybrid and electrically powered cars in Spain, this programme brings together 16 technology companies (including Siemens, Endesa, Iberdrola, REE, Cegasa, Ficosa, Circuitor, Cobra or Lear) and 16 universities and research establishments under the CTM coordination (Centre Tecnològic in Manresa) and the support of the CDTI (Centre for Industrial Technological Development, an organization pertaining to the Ministry of Science and Innovation).
In January 2010, the Cenit Verde association made its opening meeting at SEAT's Technical Centre in Martorell.
As part of its contribution SEAT comes in with its own 'Verde' pre-project, including the technology implemented in the plug-in hybrid SEAT León Twin drive
SEAT León Twin drive
The SEAT León Twin drive concept car is an electrically driven vehicle prototype presented at the SEAT Martorell facilities on May 2009 in front of Spanish officials as well as members of Volkswagen’s Executive committee, based on a second generation SEAT León that features modified gearbox, power...
as well as in the SEAT IBE concept
SEAT IBE
The SEAT IBE is an electric concept car that was first presented by the Spanish brand SEAT at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, with a second version being introduced a few months later at the 2010 Paris Motor Show...
zero emissions electric vehicle presented in the 2010 Geneva motor show.
‘SEAT Autometro’ project
The ‘SEAT Autometro’ project comprises the construction and management of a rail link service between the SEAT's Martorell complex and the Port of Barcelona, in the aim of transport of vehicles and components. Autometro is the joint-venture company which operates the rail, having Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC)
Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya
Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya , or FGC, is a railway company which operates several unconnected lines in Catalonia, Spain....
local rail company, COMSA Rail Transport
COMSA
Grupo COMSA is a Spanish construction and infrastructure company whose main business historically has been railway infrastructure work. Later the business expanded into more general construction and infrastructure work....
and Pecovasa as its shareholders. The company was founded in November 2005 almost five months after an initial agreement was signed between the Catalan government (Generalitat
Generalitat
Generalitat is the name of the autonomous systems of government of two of the present Spanish autonomous communities: Catalonia and the Valencian Community. The term is also used for the government of the semi-autonomous comarca of Val d'Aran, the Generalitat a l'Aran.Generalitat refers to all...
), the Barcelona Port Authority and SEAT. Due to this project, a branch connecting the Martorell plant with the FGC 'Llobregat-Anoia' main rail line
Línia Llobregat-Anoia
Línia Llobregat-Anoia or Metro del Baix Llobregat is the collective name under which several rail lines operated by the Catalan rail company Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya are known...
had to be constructed, as well as further adaptations to the transport network and the host infrastructures in the Port of Barcelona had to be made. The budget for the project comes up to 6.8 million euro, while SEAT on its part also assumes the operational transport costs.
The use of this rail link since January 18, 2008, instead of road transport, has helped not only in terms of cost effectiveness and road safety but also in the reduction of both road congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.
Over the whole 'Autometro' project awards have been given for the best logistics idea at the 2007 International Logistics Fair (SIL) and specifically to SEAT as the 2008 Distinguished loader by the Loaders’ Association of the Port of Barcelona.
Sponsorship
SEAT has been a sponsor in major sports events, such as- UEFA Europa League
- Red BullRed BullRed Bull is an energy drink sold by the Austrian Red Bull GmbH, created in 1987 by the Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz. In terms of market share, Red Bull is the most popular energy drink in the world, with 3 billion cans sold each year. Dietrich Mateschitz was inspired by an already...
Air Race World Championship - Davis Cup World Group Final
- Barcelona 1992 Olympic gamesOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
and a strong supporter to artists, like Shakira
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
, Armin van Buuren, David Guetta
David Guetta
Pierre David Guetta , known professionally as David Guetta , is a French house music producer and DJ. Originally a DJ at nightclubs during the 1980s and 1990s, he co-founded Gum Productions and released his first album, Just a Little More Love, in 2002. Later, he released Guetta Blaster and Pop Life...
etc.
Awards
Over the years the SEAT marque has been honoured with several awards, such as- The Landaben plant, 100% owned by SEAT, S.A. by that time , received in 1986 the World quality award (Q-86).
- The Martorell plant, 100% owned by SEAT, S.A. , received in 1998 the Best factory of the VW Group in the first quarter award.
- The Barcelona 'Gearbox del Prat' plant, 100% owned by SEAT, S.A. , received in 2009 the Volkswagen Excellence award for its high-quality manufacturing process and product.
- The SEAT brand itself in 2009 has been named 'Most Improved Used Car Brand of the decade' in the CAP Used Car of the Decade Awards.
- 'AvD Innovationspreis 2006' award for technological innovations developed at the SEAT Technical Centre in Martorell, from the German automobile club 'Automobilclub von Deutschland' (AvD)
- In the 2007 Barcelona International motor show SEAT received two awards for the best technological innovations in the automotive sector, for the LED modules implementation in headlights and the project of virtual fabrication and applied ergonomics.
- 'Best project in the use of an electronic signature in the private sector in 2008' for SEAT’s electronic invoicing system, by the Catalan Certification Agency (CATCert)
- 'Best logistics initiative 2007' award for the SEAT-Autometro project, by the International Logistics Salon
- 'Port of Barcelona’s Distinguished Loader prize in 2008' , by the Port of Barcelona’s Loaders’ Association
External links
- SEAT.com corporate website
- SEAT Sport UK
- LeonOC.com Leon Owners Club