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SEAT

March 06, 2023

For other uses, see Seat (disambiguation).
"S.E.A.T." redirects here. Not to be confused with Sociedad Española de Automóviles y Transportes.

SEAT S.A. (English: /ˈseɪɑːt/, Spanish: [ˈseat]; Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo lit. Spanish Touring Automobiles Company) is a Spanish car manufacturer, which sells its vehicles under the SEAT and Cupra brands.[3] It was founded on 9 May 1950 as a partnership between the Spanish state-owned Instituto Nacional de Industria (INI), which held a majority stake, Spanish private banks, and FIAT. It quickly became the largest supplier of cars in Spain. In 1986, after 36 years of being publicly listed as an independent automaker, the Spanish government sold SEAT to the Volkswagen Group, of which it remains a wholly owned subsidiary.[4]

SEAT S.A.[1]
Headquarters in Martorell, Spain
Native name
Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo (S.E.A.T.)
TypeSociedad Anónima / Subsidiary
IndustryAutomotive
Founded9 May 1950; 72 years ago (1950-05-09)
FounderInstituto Nacional de Industria
HeadquartersMartorell, Catalonia, Spain
Area served
Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America (except Brazil and Argentina) and Singapore
Key people
  • Wayne Griffiths (President)
  • Carsten Isensee (Vice President, Finance and IT, and chairman of the Executive Committee)
  • Markus Haupt (Vice President, production and logistics)
  • Alfonso Sancha García (Vice-President of Purchases)
  • Werner Tietz (Vice-president for Research and Development)
  • Xavier Ros (Vice-President for Human Resources and Organisation)
ProductsAutomobiles, electric vehicles, automotive parts
Production output
468,805 units (2020)
ServicesDesign, manufacture and distribution of SEAT cars and components
Revenue€8784 million (2020)[2]
€194.2 million (2020)
Number of employees
14,751 (2020)
ParentVolkswagen Group
DivisionsSEAT
Cupra
Cupra Racing
Websitewww.seat.com
SEAT
Product typeCars
OwnerVolkswagen Group
CountrySpain
Introduced1950
Related brandsCupra
Fiat
Previous owners
Websiteseat.com

The headquarters of SEAT S.A. is located at the company's industrial complex in Martorell near Barcelona. In 2020, annual production was over 468,000 units, with more than 427,000 cars sold in just one year, exported to over 75 countries worldwide.[5]

Facilities

 
SEAT's industrial complex in Martorell

Martorell

Its headquarters and main manufacturing facilities are located in Martorell, an industrial town located some 30 km northwest of Barcelona,[6] with a production capacity of around 500,000 units per annum.[7] The plant was opened by King Juan Carlos of Spain on 22 February 1993, becoming the main plant and accompanying SEAT's assembly plant by the coast in Barcelona's free port zone (Zona Franca). A rail connection between SEAT's Martorell and Zona Franca complexes facilitates vehicle and parts transportation between the two sites.[8][9]

The industrial complex in Martorell also hosts the facilities of Cupra Racing[10] (formerly SEAT Sport),[11] SEAT's Technical Center, Research and Development Center (R&D),[12] Design Center,[13] Prototypes Centre of Development,[14] SEAT Service Center (also incorporating the After-Sales Service division, the Customer Services division and the Catalunya Motor dealership),[15] as well as the Genuine Parts Centre for SEAT, Volkswagen, Audi, and Škoda brands.[16] The plant can sometimes aid the former SEAT plant in Pamplona, now owned by Volkswagen-Audi-Espana, S.A.[17]

Models made at Martorell are: Arona, Formentor, Ibiza, Leon, Leon Sportstourer and Audi A1.[18]

  • SEAT Technical Centre,[19] located in Martorell, is focused in R&D. More than 1,294 people work there. In that centre, SEAT fully develops new vehicles. The centre covers a surface area of 200,000 m2. They use virtual reality technologies in order to design the “new SEAT” cars.
  • SEAT Design Center:[20] it officially opened in 2007 and is located within the SEAT Technical Center. This facility brings the entire design process together. As of 2020, 100 people work there.
  • Prototype Development Centre (PDC) [21] was inaugurated in 2007 and is one of SEAT's main projects. It consolidates the activities related to the initial phases of the design and development of a new model. It brings together the knowledge, personnel and resources of the Prototype departments of the SEAT Technical Centre and the Pilot Workshop of Process Engineering in Martorell under one roof.
  • Spare Parts Centre is an area with 75,000 m2 that distributes parts and components to SEAT, Volkswagen, Audi and Škoda dealers in Spain, to SEAT dealers in Portugal and also to SEAT importers all over the world.
  • SEAT Service: The After-Sales Service, SEAT Technical Training Centre and Catalunya Motor dealership. This facility covers a surface area of 8,000m2. As of 2020, the workforce is 170 employees.[citation needed]
  • Cupra Racing (former SEAT Sport): this facility covers a surface area of 16,000m2 and is close to the manufacturing plant and the SEAT Technical Centre in Martorell. This centre is where SEAT adds sporty finishes to the SEAT range and prepares different competition models, such as the Cupra León Competition or the Cupra e-Racer.

Zona Franca

 
SEAT's Training Centre in Barcelona's Zona Franca

SEAT's factory in Barcelona's Zona Franca started its activities in 1953 and was the production facility where the first SEAT models such as the SEAT 1400 and the 600 were built. In 1993, the car production began to get transferred to the new Martorell plant, and since then, the Barcelona factory has been producing parts such as doors, roofs, fenders and chassis.

80% of the production[22] of the parts for the MQB A0, the compact modular platform of the Volkswagen Group on which the Ibiza and Arona are based, is carried out in these facilities, as well as most of the stamped parts for all other SEAT models. The development and assembly facilities are some of the newest within the Volkswagen Group, with the ability to produce cars[23] not only for its own brand, but also for other Volkswagen Group brands, such as Volkswagen and Audi.[24] For example, the development and design of several Audi models (e.g. the Audi A1,[25] the Audi A3 Sportback,[26] the Audi Q5 etc.) and also several Audi development projects took place there.[27]

This plant is an industry benchmark, as it features elements such as the virtual simulation of the PXL press, 3D printing in the maintenance workshop, the automatic shifting between sealing tips of the robots in the body shop and the automation of the logistics flow through automated guided vehicles.

The Barcelona Zona Franca site includes the SEAT Training Centre,[28] 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 (Volkswagen, Audi, and Škoda);[29] the latter plant was awarded the Volkswagen Excellence Award in 2009 by the Volkswagen Group for high-quality production process and product.[29]

Other manufacturing plants

Another plant owned directly by SEAT from 1975[30] was the Landaben plant in Pamplona, but in December 1993 its ownership was transferred to the Volkswagen Group subsidiary "Volkswagen-Audi-Espana, S.A.",[17] and the site today is producing Volkswagen cars in Spain.[31] 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.[32]

 
SEAT's Pavilion at Autostadt, Wolfsburg

Factories of the Volkswagen Group currently producing SEAT models also include the Bratislava site in Slovakia, the AutoEuropa factory in Palmela, Portugal,[33] and Wolfsburg in Germany.[34] From 2016, SEAT also holds museum in the Zona Franca's 'Nave A122' site, that hosts 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.[35]

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.[36] In Wolfsburg, Germany, in the middle of a lake inside the Autostadt, the Volkswagen Group's corporate theme park,[37] is SEAT's thematic pavilion, one of the largest pavilions in the park.[38]

Other company facilities

  • Casa SEAT:  is a benchmark urban mobility promotional lab and was inaugurated in June, 2020. It is located in Paseo de Gracia in Barcelona and is SEAT MÓ's headquarters.[39]
  • SEAT:CODE (Center of Digital Excellence) is the software development centre. Since its establishment in 2019,[40] it has led the company's digital transformation and created  digital solutions to boost SEAT, CUPRA and SEAT MÓ. In July, 2020, this centre inaugurated its headquarters in Barcelona.[41]
  • SEAT's dealers: Besides selling SEAT and CUPRA, some also offer second-hand vehicles or KM0 under the company DasWeltAuto, belonging to the Volkswagen Group. Many dealers also offer maintenance, parts, supplies and repair of the models. Outside Spain, SEAT has its distributors in more than 70 countries.   
  • SEAT Componentes produces gearboxes for SEAT, Volkswagen, Audi and Škoda in its factory in El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona). It was founded in 1979; the facilities cover more than 150,000 square meters and have a manufacturing capacity of up to 3,500 gearboxes daily, in a complete process that goes from the foundry to assembling and quality control. In 2020 this facility had more than 1,000 employees and produced two different gearbox models: the MQ200 and the new MQ281.[42] Their combined maximum capacity is of 800 thousand gearboxes per year.

Presence in different markets

 
SEAT 600, the first model exported by SEAT in 1965 to Colombia, became the best-selling car in Finland from 1970 to 1973.

In its 60 years, only a short period occurred from 1953 to 1965 when the firm produced its cars exclusively for the domestic Spanish market. In 1965, 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 that allowed the Spanish firm to form an international distribution network for its cars and thereafter start its export operations to more than 12 countries, entering the export market in 1969. Until the early 1980s, however, most SEAT exports were sold with Fiat badging.[43] As a response to SEAT's bid for independence, Fiat committed themselves to selling 200,000 SEAT-built cars a year from 1981, compared to 120,000 the year before. At the end of 1983, just after SEAT had won its legal battle with Fiat, a quarter of the production went to Egypt and Latin America.[44] In Europe, they were represented in West Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Austria, and Greece. The UK, Ireland, and various Scandinavian markets were planned to be added in 1984. This was despite the company only being able to export the Ronda, with the Fura to follow.[43] The exponential growth in exports in the '70s happened under the leadership of Juan Sánchez Cortés and the export director José María García-Courel.

To date, the company has launched its models 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 sales for SEAT is currently Mexico, where the company has a dealer presence in 27 Mexican states.[45]

In Europe, the brand has been launched in almost 40 countries across the continent. SEAT today also sells its cars in 11 countries in Asia, mostly in the Middle East and the Arabian peninsula, in 16 countries in the Americas, including North America, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America, and finally Africa, mainly in North Africa. Some of its cars have been sold outside Europe, branded as Volkswagens, 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.

As of 2012, SEAT was planning to expand into the Chinese market,[46] first with Spanish-produced models, followed later in a second phase by the local assembly of SEAT models in China.[47]

SEAT's further expansion plans in more markets outside of Europe have yet to be realised. The company was considering a possible launch in the United States in the past, although this move has never been carried out.[48] 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) and South Africa (from June 2006 to the end of 2008). Still, 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 unviable.[49][50] SEAT has been present in the Russian Federation since 2007. SEAT was reintroduced to the New Zealand market in 2017.[51] SEAT will re-enter the Australian market in 2022, selling vehicles under their performance marque Cupra.[52][53]

History

Establishment

Spain is the world's eighth-largest manufacturer of automobiles. Its car market stands among the largest in Europe.[54][55] However, this has not always been the case; in the first half of the 20th century, Spain's economy was relatively underdeveloped compared to most other Western European countries and had a limited automobile market. In this period, car production was limited, and only a few low-volume local manufacturers catered mainly to the luxury end of the market, of which Hispano-Suiza was the most successful. Spain's limited market for mass-produced vehicles was taken over by foreign companies operating through subsidiaries that either imported cars or assembled cars from imported parts, depriving the country of the technological know-how and large investments needed for mass production. The situation greatly deteriorated with the Spanish Civil War of 1936 to 1939. Car demand collapsed not only due to the greatly reduced purchasing power of Spaniards caused by war devastation but also because the multinational subsidiaries either ceased operations or were severely stricken by the war and its aftermath.[56]

 
SEAT's first emblem

The lack of interest shown by the foreign firms in the weakened post-civil war Spanish market opened an opportunity for local interests.[57] SEAT dates its origins back to June 22, 1940, when the Spanish bank 'Banco Urquijo', with the support of a group of industrial companies, (Hispano-Suiza, Basconia, Duro-Felguera, S.E. de Construcción Naval, Euskalduna, S.E. de Construcciones Metálicas, Fundiciones Bolueta, Echevarría etc.) founded the 'Sociedad Ibérica de Automóviles de Turismo' (S.I.A.T.) to establish Spain's own mass production car maker. The initial Banco Urquijo's project aimed at running the S.I.A.T. motor company as a fully private enterprise, but soon after 1941, the interventionist state holding company Instituto Nacional de Industria followed a decision taken by the Franco government on January 3, 1942.[58] The goal for the new national car brand was not to be only another licensee car maker assembling foreign designs and parts in Spain, but of developing the whole manufacturing process from design to assembly within Spain. Because of the country's lack of expertise in automotive mass-production development, finding a foreign partner that would contribute technically and with its models in the early years in exchange for cash, shares, bonds, and royalties became the course of action. With the rest of Europe having entered World War II, and Spain itself in ruins from its civil war, the project was delayed but not abandoned due to its strategic importance.

 
José Ortiz-Echagüe Puertas, SEAT's first president, was in 1976 made honorary president for life.

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 600,000 shares of 1000 pesetas each, and in a time when the country needed remodelling the fundamental structures in its national economy, just after the end of 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 to form a partnership with a foreign ally to bring to life Spain's major car manufacturer.[59] The favoured bidders were Germany's Volkswagen and Italy's Fiat. Fiat's bid won for several reasons, including Fiat's prominence in Spain and the fact that the company established the short-lived 'Fiat Hispania' plant in Guadalajara, which was destroyed in the Spanish Civil War. Fiat's collaboration with the French company Simca proved Fiat's ability to manage complex international projects. Fiat's experience in the semiprotected car market in Italy was seen as the most easily transferable to the one in Spain, both of which had, at the time, customers of low incomes and limited markets for cars, as well as similar road conditions. In Italy, Fiat dominated the market for vehicles under 12 horsepower, which would initially be the main market segment in Spain. The relative economic isolation of World War II damaged Italy and made Fiat interested in opportunities outside Italy, meaning that the negotiations with the Italian manufacturer could prosper more easily in favour of Spanish interests than those from other countries. In 1947, the Banco Urquijo group revived the S.I.A.T. project. In the next year, the talks ended successfully with the signing of a three-part contract, with the understanding that the INI would hold a 51% controlling interest, as well as a ruling act in the new company preserving a focused approach of the enterprise in the 'national interest'. The Banco Urquijo group, although a minority shareholder, looked forward to assuming a leading role in the future as soon as the company was privatised. Partner carmaker Fiat was offered a 7% share in exchange for its technical assistance. This way, SEAT would not only be able to reinitiate the country's economic recovery as the largest employer in the 1960s and '70s but would also contribute to the industrialisation of a largely rural economy.

 
SEAT's Barcelona Zona Franca site and laboratories

Though initial thoughts were of locating in less-developed inland cities such as Valladolid and Burgos, the company decided the 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 carmakers, such as Hispano-Suiza and Elizalde, and subsidiaries of foreign carmakers, such as Ford Motor Ibérica and General Motors Peninsular. Being an enterprise of vital interest for the national economy and 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 the industrial and aeronautical engineer, pilot, and photographer José Ortiz-Echagüe Puertas, who came from the Spanish aircraft manufacturer Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA, where he had held the position of CEO, and who in 1976 was named the Honorary lifetime president of SEAT.[60][61][62]

Partnership with Fiat

 
SEAT 1400, the first model produced by SEAT in 1953

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 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 significantly increased together with the implementation of locally made components in the production process to limit imports from one part and from another part to push the development of the almost nonexistent Spanish supplier industry and meet SEAT's assigned key role as the national carmaker in restoring the Spanish economy of post–World War II Spain. By 1954, the use of Spanish-made parts had risen to 93% of the total, and the factory was officially opened the next year on May 5, 1955. Nevertheless, the impact on Spanish society could not be seen immediately since the first model launched by SEAT was considered a luxury car, so it was highly priced and still not affordable to the average Spanish consumer. Consequently, SEAT needed a second, more economical model to compete against simpler, inexpensive designs that appeared in the local market, like the Biscúter, which seemed to suit better to the unwealthy customers looking for a personal means of transport in a suffering economy.[63]

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 Automobiles or even redeveloped them according to the needs of its range. However, the first example of a SEAT-exclusive derivative would arrive in September 1963 with the launch of the SEAT 800, a car developed in-house by SEAT with no equivalent model in Fiat's range based on the SEAT 600 as a stretched version with four doors.

 
A monument in Spain for the SEAT 600, a symbol of the Spanish miracle[64][65]

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.[66] In that same year, the historical SEAT 600 was launched, 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 annual production growth was hitting one record after another due to the heavy demand, the economies of scale permitted cutting costs and prices, subsequently renewing demand and boosting 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. SEAT's plant manager was only in Barcelona until 1973, when SEAT settled another general director in Catalonia.

 
The SEAT 850 Sport, launched in 1967, was the first coupé model from SEAT.

In 1967, 14 years after producing cars for the domestic market, SEAT's success was signaled by its dominant position in Spain, ahead of its major competitors, i.e. 'FASA-Renault', 'Citroën-Hispania', Authi, and Barreiros, making SEAT Spain's largest automaker in sales numbers and a wholly localized production. In that year, an agreement between Fiat and the Spanish Ministry of Industry was reached to end the restrictions over exporting SEAT cars from Spain, a term of the original licensee contract agreed with Fiat in 1948. In exchange for that, Fiat would increase its holding in the company from 7% to 36%. At the same time, the share held by the government holding agency would be reduced from a controlling 51% to 32%. The six major Spanish banks took the remaining 32%, which decreased from their previous 42% share split equally in 7% parts owned by every single one. 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).[67] On December 6, 1967, SEAT also founded its own customer financing company 'Financiera SEAT, S.A.' (Fiseat).

To produce its own research projects independently, on November 16, 1970, SEAT came in accordance with Fiat to start building separate infrastructures aimed at developing new technologies. In 1972, the brand arranged some provisional facilities for the site of the future technical center in Martorell, and in 1973, it began construction work; this goal would come only until 1975 to be reached with the completion of the first phase in the construction of a facility designed by the Catalan architect Josep Antoni Coderch.[68]

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 the disruption that year caused by strikes and a serious flood at the coastally sited Barcelona plant.[69] However, with just 81 cars per 1000 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.[69]

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 joints, 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.[70]

In 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 to take over the brand's operations in Spain, leaving aside GM's interest in it, which would otherwise open the path for the American automaker to enter the Spanish market, thus jeopardizing the relationship with Fiat. The talks ended in July 1975, when an agreement was announced between the two parties 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 give 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 in February 1976 only of SEAT cars this time.[71][72]

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.[73] 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 to qualify for a lower car tax rate.

In 1977, SEAT's leasing company Liseat was founded. In 1979, the Gearbox del Prat facility was set up as a specialised plant for producing 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 SEAT's major shareholder, the Spanish government, and Fiat Automobiles; SEAT needed major capital investment, which Fiat was not prepared to contribute, partially due to the oil crisis of the 1970s and also due to the uncertainty for Fiat's interests following the end of a protectionist policy against GM in Spain. The outcome, in 1982, was an end to the relationship with Fiat after nearly 30 years, a rather surprising decision despite the favourable perspectives for the Spanish economy, with Spain being in the anteroom of the European Economic Community since 1977.

 
SEAT Ronda

The end of the cooperation 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's involvement appeared in the same year, the SEAT Ronda, styled by Rayton Fissore in collaboration with the technical centre in Martorell. The launch of this model sparked a lawsuit from Fiat against SEAT, as the former claimed the car was too similar to a car in Fiat's range, the 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.

Volkswagen Group subsidiary

 
The SEAT Ibiza Mk1, launched in 1984, was the first model developed by SEAT as an independent company, together with Porsche and Karmann.

In 1982, Dr. Carl Horst Hahn, who had just assumed responsibility as the chairman of the Volkswagenwerk AG (Volkswagen Group), examined the opportunity of approaching SEAT after Fiat's withdrawal in his plan to expand the Volkswagen Group's operations out of Germany and turning the German group into a global force. It also followed the precedent set by other global manufacturers (such as Ford in Valencia and General Motors in Zaragoza) in setting up manufacturing operations in Spain. However, the Spanish authorities had already started talks with other foreign firms, such as Toyota,[74] Nissan and Mitsubishi[75] to choose a strong partner for SEAT. Hahn's interest soon resulted in an industrial and commercial cooperation, as well as a license 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[76] — 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 parties being represented by the president of SEAT Juan Miguel Antoñanzas and Carl Hahn on behalf of the Volkswagenwerk AG.[77] SEAT also gained the rights to distribute Volkswagens in Spain.[43]

 
Former logo from 2012 to 2017
 
Former logo from 1998 to 2012

SEAT launched its new Ibiza, a Giugiaro-styled hatchback, which made use of System Porsche engines and also featured underpinnings from the Fiat Ritmo/Strada, in 1984. It also formed the basis of the Málaga, a four-door family saloon. SEAT began expanding into markets beyond Spain's borders, including the United Kingdom, where it began selling cars in the autumn of 1985.

On June 18, 1986, after purchasing the 51% majority stake of SEAT and its share increase up to 75% on December 23 of the same year, the Volkswagen Group became the major shareholder of SEAT. On December 18, 1990, the Volkswagen Group bought the remaining 25% of the company, thus making SEAT the first non-German wholly owned subsidiary of the 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 models, contributing up to 15.2% of the VW group's total output in 1989, as well as an opportunity to enter the relatively unexploited (at that time) Spanish market under the SEAT, VW, and Audi 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,[78] but only in 1989 was a decision made 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, the translocation of SEAT's Madrid administration offices to Barcelona began 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 the Catalonia region.

 
The SEAT Toledo Mk1, launched in 1991, was the first model fully developed under Volkswagen Group's ownership.

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 of new models. On February 22, 1993, King Juan Carlos of Spain and the newly elected 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 lines were the SEAT Ibiza Mk2 and its saloon version, the SEAT Córdoba Mk1. The new Ibiza was a huge success for SEAT, greatly expanding its market share, particularly in export markets.

The original planning in October 1993 to close the emblematic Zona Franca assembly plant as soon as the production of vehicles could 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 in June 1994 over which, however, SEAT would regain ownership four years later in 1998.

In 1994, the design center in Sitges[79] — 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. During 1994, SEAT, in collaboration with Suzuki, manufactured a five-door prototype model of a city car, internally named Rosé, aiming to replace with it the Marbella in its range, but this model never made it through to production.[80][81]

 
SEAT León Mk1 Cupra R

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, in January 1997, a non-Spanish descendant, the Belgian Pierre-Alain de Smedt, was appointed SEAT's chairman for the first time. The SEAT Arosa, a three-door city hatchback, was launched in 1997, effectively replacing the Marbella, SEAT's version of the Fiat Panda, which had been in production since the early 1980s.

On April 7, 1998, the Zona Franca plant marked the end of the production lifecycle of the Marbella model, signaling a historical moment for SEAT with the end of vehicle production in SEAT's oldest factory, which opened in 1953; ever since the Zona Franca plant has produced components and parts to be assembled in other locations. It also signaled the demise of SEAT's last Fiat-based model.

In March 1999, at the Geneva Motor Show, SEAT presented a modern, stylised logo, more rounded than the last one and using the silver colour on a red background, instead of the previous blue, symbolising respectively the rational and the emotional. This came shortly after the launch of the second-generation Toledo which used it as a badge and shortly before the launch of the Toledo-based Leon hatchback.

The "auto emoción" slogan was presented 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.

On July 1, 2000, Dr. Bernd Peter Pischetsrieder, the former CEO 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 to 2007, SEAT formed part of the Audi Brand Group, the Volkswagen Group's automotive subdivision, consisted of Audi, SEAT and Lamborghini, that was focused on more sporty values, with the marque's product vehicles and performance being under the responsibility of the Audi brand.[82][83]

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,[84] which previously hosted the design facility jointly owned by SEAT, Volkswagen, and Audi,[85] 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 eventually taking place on December 30, 2007.

On January 12, 2007, the inauguration of the building of the SEAT Service Centre next to the southern entrance of the Martorell factory was held, the department focusing on technical support, after-sales and marketing purposes, and covering the feedback and the relationship of the brand with the customers and its worldwide network. In January 2007, the operation of the SEAT Prototypes Centre of Development located in the heart of the Martorell industrial complex began, a facility inaugurated on July 16 of the same year, bringing together activities related to the virtual and physical preproduction processes of new models (prototyping, modeling, pilot product development, and series analysis), thus shortening development times for prototypes and preproduction vehicles, as well as saving costs with the use of modern technologies such as virtual simulation.[86]

Cupra brand

Cupra
 
Product typeCars
OwnerSEAT
CountrySpain
Introduced2018
Related brandsSEAT
Websitecupraofficial.com

In 2018, the previous range-topping Cupra trim was launched as a stand-alone brand, alongside SEAT, and at the same time, SEAT Sport became Cupra Racing. Cupra describes itself as 'an unconventional challenger brand, based on stimulating style and contemporary performance that inspires the world from Barcelona with progressive cars and experiences. Cupra has its corporate headquarters in Martorell, Spain, and a network of specialised points of sale around the world.[87]

Motorsport

Main article: Cupra Racing
 
The SEAT 1430 in competition

SEAT's involvement in motorsports began in the 1970s with the brand's contribution to the national formula races in Spain, and by the end of the same decade, the start of its involvement in rallies.[88] In 1971, the Special Vehicles department was formed with the mission to enforce the brand's participation in rally championships, resulting in 11 titles between 1979 and 1983.[88] The year 1985 was when SEAT Sport 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 to appeal particularly to the younger generation of drivers.[89] The results of this effort have been 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) (2008, 2009).[89]

Rallying

SEAT's first serious attempt at a World Rally Championship (WRC) was in the 1977 season, when SEAT took part with its SEAT 1430/124D Especial 1800 race car, and in its debut rallying event at the Montecarlo Rally, the SEAT team finished in the third and fourth places with the official 1430-1800 cars being driven by Antonio Zanini and Salvador Cañellas. In recent years, the consignment was placed on the small SEAT Ibiza, a 1.6-L, normally aspirated, front-wheel drive car with its roots in the Volkswagen Polo. The Ibiza allowed the company to evolve its rallying experience further and was officially engaged in some European national championships. The years went by until a 2-L 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 2-L World Champion ('96, '97, '98), proving its maker had accumulated enough experience, and budget, to take a chance at the reign category, the World Rally Car class of rallying cars.

 
Daniel Solà with the SEAT Córdoba WRC at the Rallye de tierra de Cangas del Narcea

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 ended in September 2000, when the company's German upper management revoked its decision forcing SEAT Sport to retire from the World Rally Championship.

Seats's 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 an inline-four 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 race car development 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.

Touring cars

 
Yvan Muller with the SEAT León TDI in Japan

In 2002, SEAT announced a one-make championship for the new SEAT León 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 winning the driver's 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').

In September 2008, SEAT UK announced that it would withdraw from all motor sport activity in the UK at the end of the season. The SEAT Cupra Championship and the SEAT BTCC campaign ended 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.[90] At the second meeting of the WTCC (in Mexico), the SEAT team placed 1st, 4th, 6th, 7th and 11th in the first race. In the second race, they placed 1st, 3rd, 7th, and 8th.[91] While SEAT may have withdrawn from the BTCC, they are showing impressive results in the WTCC.

 
The SEAT Cupra GT in the Spanish GT championship for the SunRED racing team

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 GT 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,[92] 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.[93]

Formula

 
SEAT Formula 1430

In 2002, SEAT announced a one-make championship for the new SEAT León Cupra R, the SEAT León Supercopa. In 1970 SEAT set up the 'Fórmula Nacional' series in Spain,[94][95] a year later to be known as Formula 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.[96][97]

Model range

Main article: List of SEAT vehicles

SEAT models

Ibiza León Arona Ateca Tarraco
Supermini Small family car B-segment Crossover C-segment Crossover D-segment Crossover
  • Hatchback
  • Hatchback
  • Sportstourer (estate/wagon)
  • Crossover
  • Crossover
  • Crossover
 
 
 
 
 

Cupra models

León Ateca Formentor Born
Small family car C-segment Crossover CUV Coupé Small family car
  • Hatchback
  • Sportstourer (estate/wagon)
  • Crossover
  • CUV
  • Hatchback
  • Electric Car
 
 
 
 

Nomenclature

SEAT's corporate tradition, as a Volkswagen Group subsidiary, dictates that the nomenclature of its model range be inspired by Spanish culture. Thus, a large number of SEAT's production models have been named after places in Spain (e.g. Arosa, Ibiza, Córdoba, León, Toledo, Altea, Alhambra, Málaga, Marbella, Ronda etc.).[98] However, there have been several exceptions: for example, the name for the SEAT Exeo — added to the brand's range in 2008 — was influenced from the Latin word exire which means "to go beyond".[99]

Following the marque's naming trend with production models, many of SEAT's concept cars adopted names inspired by either Hispanic dances (e.g. tango, bolero, salsa), abbreviations related to existing production models (e.g. IBZ for Ibiza, IBE for Ibiza Eléctrico,[100] TL for Toledo etc.), or names reminiscent of SEAT's historic sporting roots (e.g. Fórmula, Cupra GT).

Moreover, in recent years, special versions of the production models' specific ranges have been added, such as the SC (for SportCoupé edition,[101]) or ST (for SportTourer[102]) differentiating the three-door and the estate versions from the standard four- and five-door ones, while the Cupra (for Cup Racing edition[103]) and FR (for Fórmula Racing[104]) has been used for the high-performance models in the range, signalising SEAT's positioning as a sport-oriented brand[96] involved in racing.

Historic references can be found with 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.[105]

Sub-ranges

'Ecomotive' range

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.[106] Reduction of weight, low-resistance tyres, new aerodynamics, tweaks in the suspension,[107] as well as changes made to the engine's electronic management software with an additional implementation of a maintenance-free[108] 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.[109] The result is a range with some of the cleanest models[110] 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 CO2 emissions coming up at 98 g/km[111] and still it comes even faster from 0 to 100 km/h than the standard version[112] featuring a 5-door body and air-conditioning, while the SEAT León Ecomotive's CO2 emissions are among the lowest in its segment too and raise up to 99 g/km.[113] 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[114] 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.[115] In that specific year the SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive was also awarded with the 'Ecobest 2008' award[116] by the Autobest organisation and the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag named it the 'most economic car of its class in the world.[117] The year 2009 has been the one when once more the Ibiza Ecomotive was nominated for the 'Green Steering wheel' award in Switzerland,[118] 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[119] and the second time in his route from Cieszyn (Poland) to Frankfurt (Germany) having achieved the world record in fuel consumption of 2.34 L/100 km (or 100 mpg U.S.[120]) covering a distance of 1,910 km on a single tank.[121]

'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,[122] the SEAT Altea MultiFuel[123] and the SEAT Altea XL MultiFuel[124] — 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

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. This model has sold over 4 million units in its four generations up to the present.[125]

In the year 2009, the total annual retail sales number of SEAT cars was 336,683 vehicles,[126] 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 and Cupra cars manufactured in SEAT/Cupra and other Volkswagen group's plants is shown below. not comprising cars of other Volkswagen group's brands, produced in SEAT-owned facilities:

Model 1986[127] 1987[128] 1988[129] 1989[129] 1990[130] 1991[131] 1992[132] 1993[133] 1994[134] 1995[135] 1996[136] 1997[137] 1998[138] 1999[138] 2000[138] 2001[139] 2002[140] 2003[141] 2004[142] 2005[143] 2006[144] 2007[145] 2008[146] 2009[147] 2010[148] 2011[149] 2012
[150][151]		 2013
[152][153]		 2014
[154][155]		 2015
[156][157]		 2016[158] 2017[159] 2018[160] 2019[161] 2020[162] 2021[163]
SEAT Marbella[nb 1] 36,879 56,893 71,519 82,935 90,903 80,005 74,637 33,216 27,102 29,621 21,930 18,139 2,337 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
SEAT Arosa — — — — — — — — — — — 42,741 38,338 46,410 28,403 22,980 19,627 13,814 9,368 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
SEAT Mii — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 990 26,409 25,489 25,845 24,516 18,720 13,825 14,369 11,479 7,593 8,648
SEAT Ibiza[nb 2] 121,526 160,907 192,024 208,210 202,157 173,236 112,334 142,987 140,974 158,284 153,000 168,492 180,775 194,245 199,279 188,427 197,311 220,497 183,754 168,645 183,848 172,206 192,470 173,715 189,083 191,183 160,887 145,041 153,633 160,451 149,988 160,377 120,287 130,243 74,564 83,710
SEAT Arona — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 17,527 110,926 134,611 78,823 98,656
SEAT Terra[nb 3] 18,444 18,238 24,925 22,007 35,430 22,198 25,034 10,626 6,517 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
SEAT Inca — — — — — — — — — 3,921 16,836 14,414 17,226 19,221 16,328 15,207 11,802 7,982 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
SEAT Inca Kombi — — — — — — — — — 104 9,328 11,070 7,708 8,573 5,534 5,316 3,879 2,150 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
SEAT Córdoba[nb 4] — — — — — — — 19,289 84,128 79,793 77,436 96,946 108,749 111,894 97,685 78,770 58,646 59,348 46,821 37,568 31,058 29,747 20,439 4,861 — — — — — — — — — — — —
SEAT León[nb 5] — — — — — — — — — — — — — 6,080 93,123 91,939 93,606 96,536 90,850 98,130 126,511 120,630 96,761 66,368 79,462 80,736 71,295 114,568 157,087 169,455 163,228 163,306 159,486 153,837 124,323 83,813
Cupra Born — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 4,801
SEAT Altea[nb 6] — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 67,125 65,174 58,288 71,377 54,770 32,791 43,351 42,329 27,478 21,284 19,142 13,001 — — — — — —
SEAT Málaga 41,292 37,653 39,269 36,882 33,098 8,735 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
SEAT Toledo — — — — 41 76,336 144,205 90,533 47,965 55,493 53,404 42,596 42,325 105,818 59,480 47,645 39,503 36,026 38,962 20,600 8,613 4,744 5,484 571 — — 5,000 21,771 16,541 19,728 18,029 13,146 10,151 1,506 — —
SEAT Exeo[nb 7] — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 369 22,981 23,108 19,559 10,854 4,681 — — — — — — — —
SEAT Alhambra — — — — — — — — — — 10,513 16,503 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 18,139 19,393 19,990 22,612 27,925 31,214 33,638 19,588 23,015 14,672 4,169
SEAT Ateca — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 35,833 77,483 90,824 98,397 76,710 58,500
SEAT Tarraco — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 2,398 38,721 18,726 22,437
Cupra Formentor — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 11,041 58,863
Total 218,141 273,691 327,737 350,034 361,629 360,510 356,210 296,651 306,686 327,216 342,447 410,901 418,758 519,681 523,756 476,808 450,682 460,046 458,460 405,019 422,670 412,946 380,575 307,502 345,027 352,936 321,316 352,824 394,860 415,076 417,012 479,302 528,029 591,809 406,452 423,597

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 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. 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.

Tuning companies

Several tuning companies have produced modified or high-performance versions of various SEAT models, some significant examples among those being Abt Sportsline, Je Design, MTM, Abarth, Emelba, Podadera Design, etc.

Company profile

Logo history

Logos
From To Logo
1953 1968  
1968 1970  
1970 1982  
1982 1990
 
1990 1999  
1998 2012  
2012 2017  
2017 present  
2018 present  
2020 present
 

Leadership

Today as a Volkswagen Group subsidiary, SEAT's leading people are appointed after approval from the group's supervisory board.

Leaders
From To Person(s)
1950 May 1967 José Ortiz-Echagüe Puertas
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
March 7, 2002 September 30, 2006 Andreas Schleef
October 1, 2006 August 31, 2009 Erich Schmitt
September 1, 2009 April 30, 2013 James Muir
May 1, 2013 September 30, 2015 Juergen Stackmann
November 1, 2015 January 6, 2020 Luca de Meo
January 7, 2020 September 30, 2020 Carsten Isensee
October 1, 2020 present Wayne Griffiths[164]

Economic figures

 
Volkswagen group's distribution centre in Germany
Financial results[126]
Year After-tax result
(in millions of euros)
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[165] +169.703
2008[166] +44.400
2009[167] -186.500
2010[168] -103.900
2011[169] -61.500
2012[170] -29.600
2013[171] -148.700
2014[172] -65.700
2015[173] +6.000
2016[174] +903.200
2017[175] +281.200
2018[176] +294.200
2019[177] +345.600
2020 +194.200

Slogans

SEAT currently does not use a slogan. Here are most of the slogans used by SEAT before:

  • SEAT, Grupo Volkswagen (19??–????; not quite a slogan but rather signifying Volkswagen Group ownership)
  • SEAT, auto emoción (2000–2011)
  • SEAT, Enjoyneering (2011–2014)
  • SEAT, Technology to Enjoy (2014–2017)

Environmental policy

Electric and hybrid technology development

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.[178]

'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 will be carried through in collaboration with GA-Solar from the beginning 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 CO2 per year.[179][180]

'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)[181] 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.[182]

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[183] as well as in the SEAT IBE concept zero-emissions electric vehicle presented in the 2010 Geneva motor show.[184]

SEAT Autometro project
 
A TMD (Teco Media Distancia) cargo train on its way from SEAT's Martorell plant[185]

The 'SEAT Autometro' project comprises the construction and management of a rail link service between 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.[186] 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 euros, while SEAT, on its part, also assumes the operational transport costs.[187]
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.[188]

Sponsorship

SEAT has been a sponsor in major sports, music and cultural events, such as:

The company was one of the prime sponsors of Tunisia's national basketball team at the 2015 FIBA Africa Championship where the company's logo was regularly displayed (e.g. on the team's shorts).[201]

Further, SEAT is a strong supporter of artists, like Shakira,[202] Armin van Buuren,[203] David Guetta[204][205] and fictional characters such as Lara Croft.

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)[206]
  • 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[29]
  • 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[207][208]
  • 'AvD Innovationspreis 2006' award for technological innovations developed at the SEAT Technical Centre in Martorell, from the German automobile club 'Automobilclub von Deutschland' (AvD)[209]
  • 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[210][211]
  • '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)[212]
  • 'Best logistics initiative 2007' award for the SEAT-Autometro project, by the International Logistics Salon[213]
  • 'Port of Barcelona's Distinguished Loader prize in 2008' , by the Port of Barcelona's Loaders' Association[214]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Including the SEAT Panda.
  2. ^ Including the SEAT Ibiza SC and the SEAT Ibiza ST.
  3. ^ Including the SEAT Trans.
  4. ^ Including the SEAT Córdoba Vario.
  5. ^ Including the SEAT León SC and SEAT León ST.
  6. ^ Including the SEAT Altea XL and the SEAT Altea Freetrack.
  7. ^ Including the SEAT Exeo ST.

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External links

 
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March 06, 2023
seat, other, uses, seat, disambiguation, redirects, here, confused, with, sociedad, española, automóviles, transportes, english, ɑː, spanish, ˈseat, sociedad, española, automóviles, turismo, spanish, touring, automobiles, company, spanish, manufacturer, which,. For other uses see Seat disambiguation S E A T redirects here Not to be confused with Sociedad Espanola de Automoviles y Transportes SEAT S A English ˈ s eɪ ɑː t Spanish ˈseat Sociedad Espanola de Automoviles de Turismo lit Spanish Touring Automobiles Company is a Spanish car manufacturer which sells its vehicles under the SEAT and Cupra brands 3 It was founded on 9 May 1950 as a partnership between the Spanish state owned Instituto Nacional de Industria INI which held a majority stake Spanish private banks and FIAT It quickly became the largest supplier of cars in Spain In 1986 after 36 years of being publicly listed as an independent automaker the Spanish government sold SEAT to the Volkswagen Group of which it remains a wholly owned subsidiary 4 SEAT S A 1 Headquarters in Martorell SpainNative nameSociedad Espanola de Automoviles de Turismo S E A T TypeSociedad Anonima SubsidiaryIndustryAutomotiveFounded9 May 1950 72 years ago 1950 05 09 FounderInstituto Nacional de IndustriaHeadquartersMartorell Catalonia SpainArea servedEurope Middle East Africa Latin America except Brazil and Argentina and SingaporeKey peopleWayne Griffiths President Carsten Isensee Vice President Finance and IT and chairman of the Executive Committee Markus Haupt Vice President production and logistics Alfonso Sancha Garcia Vice President of Purchases Werner Tietz Vice president for Research and Development Xavier Ros Vice President for Human Resources and Organisation ProductsAutomobiles electric vehicles automotive partsProduction output468 805 units 2020 ServicesDesign manufacture and distribution of SEAT cars and componentsRevenue 8784 million 2020 2 Net income 194 2 million 2020 Number of employees14 751 2020 ParentVolkswagen GroupDivisionsSEATCupraCupra RacingWebsitewww wbr seat wbr comSEATProduct typeCarsOwnerVolkswagen GroupCountrySpainIntroduced1950Related brandsCupraFiatPrevious ownersInstituto Nacional de Industria 1950 1990 Websiteseat wbr comThe headquarters of SEAT S A is located at the company s industrial complex in Martorell near Barcelona In 2020 annual production was over 468 000 units with more than 427 000 cars sold in just one year exported to over 75 countries worldwide 5 Contents 1 Facilities 1 1 Martorell 1 2 Zona Franca 1 3 Other manufacturing plants 1 4 Other company facilities 2 Presence in different markets 3 History 3 1 Establishment 3 2 Partnership with Fiat 3 3 Dispute with Fiat 3 4 Volkswagen Group subsidiary 4 Cupra brand 5 Motorsport 5 1 Rallying 5 2 Touring cars 5 3 Grand tourer cars 5 4 Formula 6 Model range 6 1 SEAT models 6 2 Cupra models 7 Nomenclature 8 Sub ranges 9 Sales 10 Rebadges 11 Tuning companies 12 Company profile 12 1 Logo history 12 2 Leadership 12 3 Economic figures 12 4 Slogans 12 5 Environmental policy 12 6 Sponsorship 13 Awards 14 See also 15 Notes 16 References 17 External linksFacilities Edit SEAT s industrial complex in Martorell Martorell Edit Its headquarters and main manufacturing facilities are located in Martorell an industrial town located some 30 km northwest of Barcelona 6 with a production capacity of around 500 000 units per annum 7 The plant was opened by King Juan Carlos of Spain on 22 February 1993 becoming the main plant and accompanying SEAT s assembly plant by the coast in Barcelona s free port zone Zona Franca A rail connection between SEAT s Martorell and Zona Franca complexes facilitates vehicle and parts transportation between the two sites 8 9 The industrial complex in Martorell also hosts the facilities of Cupra Racing 10 formerly SEAT Sport 11 SEAT s Technical Center Research and Development Center R amp D 12 Design Center 13 Prototypes Centre of Development 14 SEAT Service Center also incorporating the After Sales Service division the Customer Services division and the Catalunya Motor dealership 15 as well as the Genuine Parts Centre for SEAT Volkswagen Audi and Skoda brands 16 The plant can sometimes aid the former SEAT plant in Pamplona now owned by Volkswagen Audi Espana S A 17 Models made at Martorell are Arona Formentor Ibiza Leon Leon Sportstourer and Audi A1 18 SEAT Technical Centre 19 located in Martorell is focused in R amp D More than 1 294 people work there In that centre SEAT fully develops new vehicles The centre covers a surface area of 200 000 m2 They use virtual reality technologies in order to design the new SEAT cars SEAT Design Center 20 it officially opened in 2007 and is located within the SEAT Technical Center This facility brings the entire design process together As of 2020 100 people work there Prototype Development Centre PDC 21 was inaugurated in 2007 and is one of SEAT s main projects It consolidates the activities related to the initial phases of the design and development of a new model It brings together the knowledge personnel and resources of the Prototype departments of the SEAT Technical Centre and the Pilot Workshop of Process Engineering in Martorell under one roof Spare Parts Centre is an area with 75 000 m2 that distributes parts and components to SEAT Volkswagen Audi and Skoda dealers in Spain to SEAT dealers in Portugal and also to SEAT importers all over the world SEAT Service The After Sales Service SEAT Technical Training Centre and Catalunya Motor dealership This facility covers a surface area of 8 000m2 As of 2020 the workforce is 170 employees citation needed Cupra Racing former SEAT Sport this facility covers a surface area of 16 000m2 and is close to the manufacturing plant and the SEAT Technical Centre in Martorell This centre is where SEAT adds sporty finishes to the SEAT range and prepares different competition models such as the Cupra Leon Competition or the Cupra e Racer Zona Franca Edit SEAT s Training Centre in Barcelona s Zona Franca SEAT s factory in Barcelona s Zona Franca started its activities in 1953 and was the production facility where the first SEAT models such as the SEAT 1400 and the 600 were built In 1993 the car production began to get transferred to the new Martorell plant and since then the Barcelona factory has been producing parts such as doors roofs fenders and chassis 80 of the production 22 of the parts for the MQB A0 the compact modular platform of the Volkswagen Group on which the Ibiza and Arona are based is carried out in these facilities as well as most of the stamped parts for all other SEAT models The development and assembly facilities are some of the newest within the Volkswagen Group with the ability to produce cars 23 not only for its own brand but also for other Volkswagen Group brands such as Volkswagen and Audi 24 For example the development and design of several Audi models e g the Audi A1 25 the Audi A3 Sportback 26 the Audi Q5 etc and also several Audi development projects took place there 27 This plant is an industry benchmark as it features elements such as the virtual simulation of the PXL press 3D printing in the maintenance workshop the automatic shifting between sealing tips of the robots in the body shop and the automation of the logistics flow through automated guided vehicles The Barcelona Zona Franca site includes the SEAT Training Centre 28 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 Volkswagen Audi and Skoda 29 the latter plant was awarded the Volkswagen Excellence Award in 2009 by the Volkswagen Group for high quality production process and product 29 Other manufacturing plants Edit Another plant owned directly by SEAT from 1975 30 was the Landaben plant in Pamplona but in December 1993 its ownership was transferred to the Volkswagen Group subsidiary Volkswagen Audi Espana S A 17 and the site today is producing Volkswagen cars in Spain 31 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 32 SEAT s Pavilion at Autostadt Wolfsburg Factories of the Volkswagen Group currently producing SEAT models also include the Bratislava site in Slovakia the AutoEuropa factory in Palmela Portugal 33 and Wolfsburg in Germany 34 From 2016 SEAT also holds museum in the Zona Franca s Nave A122 site that hosts 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 35 Among SEAT s subsidiaries the SEAT Deutschland GmbH subsidiary company is based in Morfelden Walldorf Germany and apart from its commercial activities has the further responsibility of operating SEAT s electronic platform the SEAT IT Services Network 36 In Wolfsburg Germany in the middle of a lake inside the Autostadt the Volkswagen Group s corporate theme park 37 is SEAT s thematic pavilion one of the largest pavilions in the park 38 Other company facilities Edit This article contains content that is written like an advertisement Please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view October 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Casa SEAT is a benchmark urban mobility promotional lab and was inaugurated in June 2020 It is located in Paseo de Gracia in Barcelona and is SEAT Mo s headquarters 39 SEAT CODE Center of Digital Excellence is the software development centre Since its establishment in 2019 40 it has led the company s digital transformation and created digital solutions to boost SEAT CUPRA and SEAT Mo In July 2020 this centre inaugurated its headquarters in Barcelona 41 SEAT s dealers Besides selling SEAT and CUPRA some also offer second hand vehicles or KM0 under the company DasWeltAuto belonging to the Volkswagen Group Many dealers also offer maintenance parts supplies and repair of the models Outside Spain SEAT has its distributors in more than 70 countries SEAT Componentes produces gearboxes for SEAT Volkswagen Audi and Skoda in its factory in El Prat de Llobregat Barcelona It was founded in 1979 the facilities cover more than 150 000 square meters and have a manufacturing capacity of up to 3 500 gearboxes daily in a complete process that goes from the foundry to assembling and quality control In 2020 this facility had more than 1 000 employees and produced two different gearbox models the MQ200 and the new MQ281 42 Their combined maximum capacity is of 800 thousand gearboxes per year Presence in different markets Edit SEAT 600 the first model exported by SEAT in 1965 to Colombia became the best selling car in Finland from 1970 to 1973 In its 60 years only a short period occurred from 1953 to 1965 when the firm produced its cars exclusively for the domestic Spanish market In 1965 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 that allowed the Spanish firm to form an international distribution network for its cars and thereafter start its export operations to more than 12 countries entering the export market in 1969 Until the early 1980s however most SEAT exports were sold with Fiat badging 43 As a response to SEAT s bid for independence Fiat committed themselves to selling 200 000 SEAT built cars a year from 1981 compared to 120 000 the year before At the end of 1983 just after SEAT had won its legal battle with Fiat a quarter of the production went to Egypt and Latin America 44 In Europe they were represented in West Germany Belgium France Italy Austria and Greece The UK Ireland and various Scandinavian markets were planned to be added in 1984 This was despite the company only being able to export the Ronda with the Fura to follow 43 The exponential growth in exports in the 70s happened under the leadership of Juan Sanchez Cortes and the export director Jose Maria Garcia Courel To date the company has launched its models 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 sales for SEAT is currently Mexico where the company has a dealer presence in 27 Mexican states 45 In Europe the brand has been launched in almost 40 countries across the continent SEAT today also sells its cars in 11 countries in Asia mostly in the Middle East and the Arabian peninsula in 16 countries in the Americas including North America the Caribbean Central America and South America and finally Africa mainly in North Africa Some of its cars have been sold outside Europe branded as Volkswagens 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 Cordoba also known as the Volkswagen Polo Classic As of 2012 SEAT was planning to expand into the Chinese market 46 first with Spanish produced models followed later in a second phase by the local assembly of SEAT models in China 47 SEAT s further expansion plans in more markets outside of Europe have yet to be realised The company was considering a possible launch in the United States in the past although this move has never been carried out 48 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 and South Africa from June 2006 to the end of 2008 Still 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 unviable 49 50 SEAT has been present in the Russian Federation since 2007 SEAT was reintroduced to the New Zealand market in 2017 51 SEAT will re enter the Australian market in 2022 selling vehicles under their performance marque Cupra 52 53 History EditEstablishment Edit Spain is the world s eighth largest manufacturer of automobiles Its car market stands among the largest in Europe 54 55 However this has not always been the case in the first half of the 20th century Spain s economy was relatively underdeveloped compared to most other Western European countries and had a limited automobile market In this period car production was limited and only a few low volume local manufacturers catered mainly to the luxury end of the market of which Hispano Suiza was the most successful Spain s limited market for mass produced vehicles was taken over by foreign companies operating through subsidiaries that either imported cars or assembled cars from imported parts depriving the country of the technological know how and large investments needed for mass production The situation greatly deteriorated with the Spanish Civil War of 1936 to 1939 Car demand collapsed not only due to the greatly reduced purchasing power of Spaniards caused by war devastation but also because the multinational subsidiaries either ceased operations or were severely stricken by the war and its aftermath 56 SEAT s first emblem The lack of interest shown by the foreign firms in the weakened post civil war Spanish market opened an opportunity for local interests 57 SEAT dates its origins back to June 22 1940 when the Spanish bank Banco Urquijo with the support of a group of industrial companies Hispano Suiza Basconia Duro Felguera S E de Construccion Naval Euskalduna S E de Construcciones Metalicas Fundiciones Bolueta Echevarria etc founded the Sociedad Iberica de Automoviles de Turismo S I A T to establish Spain s own mass production car maker The initial Banco Urquijo s project aimed at running the S I A T motor company as a fully private enterprise but soon after 1941 the interventionist state holding company Instituto Nacional de Industria followed a decision taken by the Franco government on January 3 1942 58 The goal for the new national car brand was not to be only another licensee car maker assembling foreign designs and parts in Spain but of developing the whole manufacturing process from design to assembly within Spain Because of the country s lack of expertise in automotive mass production development finding a foreign partner that would contribute technically and with its models in the early years in exchange for cash shares bonds and royalties became the course of action With the rest of Europe having entered World War II and Spain itself in ruins from its civil war the project was delayed but not abandoned due to its strategic importance Jose Ortiz Echague Puertas SEAT s first president was in 1976 made honorary president for life SEAT under its current name was founded on May 9 1950 under the denomination Sociedad Espanola de Automoviles 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 600 000 shares of 1000 pesetas each and in a time when the country needed remodelling the fundamental structures in its national economy just after the end of 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 Espanol de Credito 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 to form a partnership with a foreign ally to bring to life Spain s major car manufacturer 59 The favoured bidders were Germany s Volkswagen and Italy s Fiat Fiat s bid won for several reasons including Fiat s prominence in Spain and the fact that the company established the short lived Fiat Hispania plant in Guadalajara which was destroyed in the Spanish Civil War Fiat s collaboration with the French company Simca proved Fiat s ability to manage complex international projects Fiat s experience in the semiprotected car market in Italy was seen as the most easily transferable to the one in Spain both of which had at the time customers of low incomes and limited markets for cars as well as similar road conditions In Italy Fiat dominated the market for vehicles under 12 horsepower which would initially be the main market segment in Spain The relative economic isolation of World War II damaged Italy and made Fiat interested in opportunities outside Italy meaning that the negotiations with the Italian manufacturer could prosper more easily in favour of Spanish interests than those from other countries In 1947 the Banco Urquijo group revived the S I A T project In the next year the talks ended successfully with the signing of a three part contract with the understanding that the INI would hold a 51 controlling interest as well as a ruling act in the new company preserving a focused approach of the enterprise in the national interest The Banco Urquijo group although a minority shareholder looked forward to assuming a leading role in the future as soon as the company was privatised Partner carmaker Fiat was offered a 7 share in exchange for its technical assistance This way SEAT would not only be able to reinitiate the country s economic recovery as the largest employer in the 1960s and 70s but would also contribute to the industrialisation of a largely rural economy SEAT s Barcelona Zona Franca site and laboratories Though initial thoughts were of locating in less developed inland cities such as Valladolid and Burgos the company decided the 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 carmakers such as Hispano Suiza and Elizalde and subsidiaries of foreign carmakers such as Ford Motor Iberica and General Motors Peninsular Being an enterprise of vital interest for the national economy and 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 the industrial and aeronautical engineer pilot and photographer Jose Ortiz Echague Puertas who came from the Spanish aircraft manufacturer Construcciones Aeronauticas SA where he had held the position of CEO and who in 1976 was named the Honorary lifetime president of SEAT 60 61 62 Partnership with Fiat Edit SEAT 1400 the first model produced by SEAT in 1953 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 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 significantly increased together with the implementation of locally made components in the production process to limit imports from one part and from another part to push the development of the almost nonexistent Spanish supplier industry and meet SEAT s assigned key role as the national carmaker in restoring the Spanish economy of post World War II Spain By 1954 the use of Spanish made parts had risen to 93 of the total and the factory was officially opened the next year on May 5 1955 Nevertheless the impact on Spanish society could not be seen immediately since the first model launched by SEAT was considered a luxury car so it was highly priced and still not affordable to the average Spanish consumer Consequently SEAT needed a second more economical model to compete against simpler inexpensive designs that appeared in the local market like the Biscuter which seemed to suit better to the unwealthy customers looking for a personal means of transport in a suffering economy 63 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 Automobiles or even redeveloped them according to the needs of its range However the first example of a SEAT exclusive derivative would arrive in September 1963 with the launch of the SEAT 800 a car developed in house by SEAT with no equivalent model in Fiat s range based on the SEAT 600 as a stretched version with four doors A monument in Spain for the SEAT 600 a symbol of the Spanish miracle 64 65 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 66 In that same year the historical SEAT 600 was launched 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 annual production growth was hitting one record after another due to the heavy demand the economies of scale permitted cutting costs and prices subsequently renewing demand and boosting 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 SEAT s plant manager was only in Barcelona until 1973 when SEAT settled another general director in Catalonia The SEAT 850 Sport launched in 1967 was the first coupe model from SEAT In 1967 14 years after producing cars for the domestic market SEAT s success was signaled by its dominant position in Spain ahead of its major competitors i e FASA Renault Citroen Hispania Authi and Barreiros making SEAT Spain s largest automaker in sales numbers and a wholly localized production In that year an agreement between Fiat and the Spanish Ministry of Industry was reached to end the restrictions over exporting SEAT cars from Spain a term of the original licensee contract agreed with Fiat in 1948 In exchange for that Fiat would increase its holding in the company from 7 to 36 At the same time the share held by the government holding agency would be reduced from a controlling 51 to 32 The six major Spanish banks took the remaining 32 which decreased from their previous 42 share split equally in 7 parts owned by every single one 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 67 On December 6 1967 SEAT also founded its own customer financing company Financiera SEAT S A Fiseat To produce its own research projects independently on November 16 1970 SEAT came in accordance with Fiat to start building separate infrastructures aimed at developing new technologies In 1972 the brand arranged some provisional facilities for the site of the future technical center in Martorell and in 1973 it began construction work this goal would come only until 1975 to be reached with the completion of the first phase in the construction of a facility designed by the Catalan architect Josep Antoni Coderch 68 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 the disruption that year caused by strikes and a serious flood at the coastally sited Barcelona plant 69 However with just 81 cars per 1000 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 69 In 1973 SEAT and Citroen Hispania jointly contributed equal shares in founding the Vigo located factory of Industrias Mecanicas de Galicia SA Indugasa producing constant velocity joints 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 Citroen Hispania but also to Ford Espana was meant to be transferred later in 1986 to the multinational company GKN 70 In 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 to take over the brand s operations in Spain leaving aside GM s interest in it which would otherwise open the path for the American automaker to enter the Spanish market thus jeopardizing the relationship with Fiat The talks ended in July 1975 when an agreement was announced between the two parties 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 give 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 in February 1976 only of SEAT cars this time 71 72 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 73 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 to qualify for a lower car tax rate In 1977 SEAT s leasing company Liseat was founded In 1979 the Gearbox del Prat facility was set up as a specialised plant for producing gearboxes gear mechanisms and differentials in El Prat del Llobregat near Barcelona Dispute with Fiat Edit In the early 1980s extensive discussions concerning funding and control took place between SEAT s major shareholder the Spanish government and Fiat Automobiles SEAT needed major capital investment which Fiat was not prepared to contribute partially due to the oil crisis of the 1970s and also due to the uncertainty for Fiat s interests following the end of a protectionist policy against GM in Spain The outcome in 1982 was an end to the relationship with Fiat after nearly 30 years a rather surprising decision despite the favourable perspectives for the Spanish economy with Spain being in the anteroom of the European Economic Community since 1977 SEAT Ronda The end of the cooperation 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 s involvement appeared in the same year the SEAT Ronda styled by Rayton Fissore in collaboration with the technical centre in Martorell The launch of this model sparked a lawsuit from Fiat against SEAT as the former claimed the car was too similar to a car in Fiat s range the Ritmo In defence of SEAT the then president of SEAT Juan Miguel Antonanzas 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 Edit The SEAT Ibiza Mk1 launched in 1984 was the first model developed by SEAT as an independent company together with Porsche and Karmann In 1982 Dr Carl Horst Hahn who had just assumed responsibility as the chairman of the Volkswagenwerk AG Volkswagen Group examined the opportunity of approaching SEAT after Fiat s withdrawal in his plan to expand the Volkswagen Group s operations out of Germany and turning the German group into a global force It also followed the precedent set by other global manufacturers such as Ford in Valencia and General Motors in Zaragoza in setting up manufacturing operations in Spain However the Spanish authorities had already started talks with other foreign firms such as Toyota 74 Nissan and Mitsubishi 75 to choose a strong partner for SEAT Hahn s interest soon resulted in an industrial and commercial cooperation as well as a license 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 76 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 parties being represented by the president of SEAT Juan Miguel Antonanzas and Carl Hahn on behalf of the Volkswagenwerk AG 77 SEAT also gained the rights to distribute Volkswagens in Spain 43 Former logo from 2012 to 2017 Former logo from 1998 to 2012 SEAT launched its new Ibiza a Giugiaro styled hatchback which made use of System Porsche engines and also featured underpinnings from the Fiat Ritmo Strada in 1984 It also formed the basis of the Malaga a four door family saloon SEAT began expanding into markets beyond Spain s borders including the United Kingdom where it began selling cars in the autumn of 1985 On June 18 1986 after purchasing the 51 majority stake of SEAT and its share increase up to 75 on December 23 of the same year the Volkswagen Group became the major shareholder of SEAT On December 18 1990 the Volkswagen Group bought the remaining 25 of the company thus making SEAT the first non German wholly owned subsidiary of the 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 models contributing up to 15 2 of the VW group s total output in 1989 as well as an opportunity to enter the relatively unexploited at that time Spanish market under the SEAT VW and Audi 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 78 but only in 1989 was a decision made 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 the translocation of SEAT s Madrid administration offices to Barcelona began 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 the Catalonia region The SEAT Toledo Mk1 launched in 1991 was the first model fully developed under Volkswagen Group s ownership 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 of new models On February 22 1993 King Juan Carlos of Spain and the newly elected chairman of the Volkswagen Group Dr Ferdinand Piech 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 lines were the SEAT Ibiza Mk2 and its saloon version the SEAT Cordoba Mk1 The new Ibiza was a huge success for SEAT greatly expanding its market share particularly in export markets The original planning in October 1993 to close the emblematic Zona Franca assembly plant as soon as the production of vehicles could 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 Fabrica Navarra de Automoviles 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 in June 1994 over which however SEAT would regain ownership four years later in 1998 In 1994 the design center in Sitges 79 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 During 1994 SEAT in collaboration with Suzuki manufactured a five door prototype model of a city car internally named Rose aiming to replace with it the Marbella in its range but this model never made it through to production 80 81 SEAT Leon Mk1 Cupra R 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 in January 1997 a non Spanish descendant the Belgian Pierre Alain de Smedt was appointed SEAT s chairman for the first time The SEAT Arosa a three door city hatchback was launched in 1997 effectively replacing the Marbella SEAT s version of the Fiat Panda which had been in production since the early 1980s On April 7 1998 the Zona Franca plant marked the end of the production lifecycle of the Marbella model signaling a historical moment for SEAT with the end of vehicle production in SEAT s oldest factory which opened in 1953 ever since the Zona Franca plant has produced components and parts to be assembled in other locations It also signaled the demise of SEAT s last Fiat based model In March 1999 at the Geneva Motor Show SEAT presented a modern stylised logo more rounded than the last one and using the silver colour on a red background instead of the previous blue symbolising respectively the rational and the emotional This came shortly after the launch of the second generation Toledo which used it as a badge and shortly before the launch of the Toledo based Leon hatchback The auto emocion slogan was presented 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 On July 1 2000 Dr Bernd Peter Pischetsrieder the former CEO 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 SEAT Exeo was the flagship model From 2002 to 2007 SEAT formed part of the Audi Brand Group the Volkswagen Group s automotive subdivision consisted of Audi SEAT and Lamborghini that was focused on more sporty values with the marque s product vehicles and performance being under the responsibility of the Audi brand 82 83 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 84 which previously hosted the design facility jointly owned by SEAT Volkswagen and Audi 85 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 eventually taking place on December 30 2007 On January 12 2007 the inauguration of the building of the SEAT Service Centre next to the southern entrance of the Martorell factory was held the department focusing on technical support after sales and marketing purposes and covering the feedback and the relationship of the brand with the customers and its worldwide network In January 2007 the operation of the SEAT Prototypes Centre of Development located in the heart of the Martorell industrial complex began a facility inaugurated on July 16 of the same year bringing together activities related to the virtual and physical preproduction processes of new models prototyping modeling pilot product development and series analysis thus shortening development times for prototypes and preproduction vehicles as well as saving costs with the use of modern technologies such as virtual simulation 86 Cupra brand EditCupra Product typeCarsOwnerSEATCountrySpainIntroduced2018Related brandsSEATWebsitecupraofficial wbr comIn 2018 the previous range topping Cupra trim was launched as a stand alone brand alongside SEAT and at the same time SEAT Sport became Cupra Racing Cupra describes itself as an unconventional challenger brand based on stimulating style and contemporary performance that inspires the world from Barcelona with progressive cars and experiences Cupra has its corporate headquarters in Martorell Spain and a network of specialised points of sale around the world 87 Motorsport EditMain article Cupra Racing The SEAT 1430 in competition SEAT s involvement in motorsports began in the 1970s with the brand s contribution to the national formula races in Spain and by the end of the same decade the start of its involvement in rallies 88 In 1971 the Special Vehicles department was formed with the mission to enforce the brand s participation in rally championships resulting in 11 titles between 1979 and 1983 88 The year 1985 was when SEAT Sport 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 to appeal particularly to the younger generation of drivers 89 The results of this effort have been 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 Leon in the FIA World Touring Car Championship 2008 2009 89 Rallying Edit SEAT s first serious attempt at a World Rally Championship WRC was in the 1977 season when SEAT took part with its SEAT 1430 124D Especial 1800 race car and in its debut rallying event at the Montecarlo Rally the SEAT team finished in the third and fourth places with the official 1430 1800 cars being driven by Antonio Zanini and Salvador Canellas In recent years the consignment was placed on the small SEAT Ibiza a 1 6 L normally aspirated front wheel drive car with its roots in the Volkswagen Polo The Ibiza allowed the company to evolve its rallying experience further and was officially engaged in some European national championships The years went by until a 2 L version of the Ibiza was homologated as a kit car and extra wide tracks larger wheels brakes etc were fitted to it as the Federation Internationale de l Automobile FIA kit car regulations allow With these attributes the car succeeded three times the 2 L World Champion 96 97 98 proving its maker had accumulated enough experience and budget to take a chance at the reign category the World Rally Car class of rallying cars Daniel Sola with the SEAT Cordoba WRC at the Rallye de tierra de Cangas del Narcea 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 ended in September 2000 when the company s German upper management revoked its decision forcing SEAT Sport to retire from the World Rally Championship Seats s 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 Cordoba 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 Cordoba was based on the family saloon of the same name but was naturally a WRC class car equipped with an inline four turbocharged petrol engine permanent four wheel drive and active differentials involved in its transmission The Cordoba WRC made its debut at the 1998 Rally of Finland while a further race car development was incarnated on the SEAT Cordoba 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 Cordoba and results weren t top competing Despite hiring ex WRC champion Didier Auriol and a new evolution of the car i e the SEAT Cordoba WRC E3 SEAT pulled out of international rallying at the end of 2000 Touring cars Edit Yvan Muller with the SEAT Leon TDI in Japan In 2002 SEAT announced a one make championship for the new SEAT Leon Cupra R the SEAT Leon 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 Leon 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 Leon 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 winning the driver s 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 Leon 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 Leon TDI SEAT s success with the Leon 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 In September 2008 SEAT UK announced that it would withdraw from all motor sport activity in the UK at the end of the season The SEAT Cupra Championship and the SEAT BTCC campaign ended 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 90 At the second meeting of the WTCC in Mexico the SEAT team placed 1st 4th 6th 7th and 11th in the first race In the second race they placed 1st 3rd 7th and 8th 91 While SEAT may have withdrawn from the BTCC they are showing impressive results in the WTCC The SEAT Cupra GT in the Spanish GT championship for the SunRED racing team Grand tourer cars Edit 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 GT 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 92 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 93 Formula Edit SEAT Formula 1430 In 2002 SEAT announced a one make championship for the new SEAT Leon Cupra R the SEAT Leon Supercopa In 1970 SEAT set up the Formula Nacional series in Spain 94 95 a year later to be known as Formula 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 Formula Nacional series took place at the Jarama circuit in Madrid 96 97 Model range EditMain article List of SEAT vehicles SEAT models Edit Ibiza Leon Arona Ateca TarracoSupermini Small family car B segment Crossover C segment Crossover D segment CrossoverHatchback Hatchback Sportstourer estate wagon Crossover Crossover Crossover Cupra models Edit Leon Ateca Formentor BornSmall family car C segment Crossover CUV Coupe Small family carHatchback Sportstourer estate wagon Crossover CUV Hatchback Electric Car Cupra Terramar Cupra Tavascan Cupra UrbanRebelNomenclature EditSEAT s corporate tradition as a Volkswagen Group subsidiary dictates that the nomenclature of its model range be inspired by Spanish culture Thus a large number of SEAT s production models have been named after places in Spain e g Arosa Ibiza Cordoba Leon Toledo Altea Alhambra Malaga Marbella Ronda etc 98 However there have been several exceptions for example the name for the SEAT Exeo added to the brand s range in 2008 was influenced from the Latin word exire which means to go beyond 99 Following the marque s naming trend with production models many of SEAT s concept cars adopted names inspired by either Hispanic dances e g tango bolero salsa abbreviations related to existing production models e g IBZ for Ibiza IBE for Ibiza Electrico 100 TL for Toledo etc or names reminiscent of SEAT s historic sporting roots e g Formula Cupra GT Moreover in recent years special versions of the production models specific ranges have been added such as the SC for SportCoupe edition 101 or ST for SportTourer 102 differentiating the three door and the estate versions from the standard four and five door ones while the Cupra for Cup Racing edition 103 and FR for Formula Racing 104 has been used for the high performance models in the range signalising SEAT s positioning as a sport oriented brand 96 involved in racing Historic references can be found with 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 105 Sub ranges Edit 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 106 Reduction of weight low resistance tyres new aerodynamics tweaks in the suspension 107 as well as changes made to the engine s electronic management software with an additional implementation of a maintenance free 108 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 109 The result is a range with some of the cleanest models 110 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 CO2 emissions coming up at 98 g km 111 and still it comes even faster from 0 to 100 km h than the standard version 112 featuring a 5 door body and air conditioning while the SEAT Leon Ecomotive s CO2 emissions are among the lowest in its segment too and raise up to 99 g km 113 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 114 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 115 In that specific year the SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive was also awarded with the Ecobest 2008 award 116 by the Autobest organisation and the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag named it the most economic car of its class in the world 117 The year 2009 has been the one when once more the Ibiza Ecomotive was nominated for the Green Steering wheel award in Switzerland 118 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 Gottingen Germany with an average fuel consumption of 2 9 L 100 km 119 and the second time in his route from Cieszyn Poland to Frankfurt Germany having achieved the world record in fuel consumption of 2 34 L 100 km or 100 mpg U S 120 covering a distance of 1 910 km on a single tank 121 MultiFuel rangeThe MultiFuel range consists in the introduction of the flexible fuel vehicle bio ethanol technology in selected SEAT models i e the SEAT Leon MultiFuel 122 the SEAT Altea MultiFuel 123 and the SEAT Altea XL MultiFuel 124 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 EditSince 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 This model has sold over 4 million units in its four generations up to the present 125 In the year 2009 the total annual retail sales number of SEAT cars was 336 683 vehicles 126 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 and Cupra cars manufactured in SEAT Cupra and other Volkswagen group s plants is shown below not comprising cars of other Volkswagen group s brands produced in SEAT owned facilities Model 1986 127 1987 128 1988 129 1989 129 1990 130 1991 131 1992 132 1993 133 1994 134 1995 135 1996 136 1997 137 1998 138 1999 138 2000 138 2001 139 2002 140 2003 141 2004 142 2005 143 2006 144 2007 145 2008 146 2009 147 2010 148 2011 149 2012 150 151 2013 152 153 2014 154 155 2015 156 157 2016 158 2017 159 2018 160 2019 161 2020 162 2021 163 SEAT Marbella nb 1 36 879 56 893 71 519 82 935 90 903 80 005 74 637 33 216 27 102 29 621 21 930 18 139 2 337 SEAT Arosa 42 741 38 338 46 410 28 403 22 980 19 627 13 814 9 368 SEAT Mii 990 26 409 25 489 25 845 24 516 18 720 13 825 14 369 11 479 7 593 8 648SEAT Ibiza nb 2 121 526 160 907 192 024 208 210 202 157 173 236 112 334 142 987 140 974 158 284 153 000 168 492 180 775 194 245 199 279 188 427 197 311 220 497 183 754 168 645 183 848 172 206 192 470 173 715 189 083 191 183 160 887 145 041 153 633 160 451 149 988 160 377 120 287 130 243 74 564 83 710SEAT Arona 17 527 110 926 134 611 78 823 98 656SEAT Terra nb 3 18 444 18 238 24 925 22 007 35 430 22 198 25 034 10 626 6 517 SEAT Inca 3 921 16 836 14 414 17 226 19 221 16 328 15 207 11 802 7 982 SEAT Inca Kombi 104 9 328 11 070 7 708 8 573 5 534 5 316 3 879 2 150 SEAT Cordoba nb 4 19 289 84 128 79 793 77 436 96 946 108 749 111 894 97 685 78 770 58 646 59 348 46 821 37 568 31 058 29 747 20 439 4 861 SEAT Leon nb 5 6 080 93 123 91 939 93 606 96 536 90 850 98 130 126 511 120 630 96 761 66 368 79 462 80 736 71 295 114 568 157 087 169 455 163 228 163 306 159 486 153 837 124 323 83 813Cupra Born 4 801SEAT Altea nb 6 67 125 65 174 58 288 71 377 54 770 32 791 43 351 42 329 27 478 21 284 19 142 13 001 SEAT Malaga 41 292 37 653 39 269 36 882 33 098 8 735 SEAT Toledo 41 76 336 144 205 90 533 47 965 55 493 53 404 42 596 42 325 105 818 59 480 47 645 39 503 36 026 38 962 20 600 8 613 4 744 5 484 571 5 000 21 771 16 541 19 728 18 029 13 146 10 151 1 506 SEAT Exeo nb 7 369 22 981 23 108 19 559 10 854 4 681 SEAT Alhambra 10 513 16 503 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 18 139 19 393 19 990 22 612 27 925 31 214 33 638 19 588 23 015 14 672 4 169SEAT Ateca 35 833 77 483 90 824 98 397 76 710 58 500SEAT Tarraco 2 398 38 721 18 726 22 437Cupra Formentor 11 041 58 863Total 218 141 273 691 327 737 350 034 361 629 360 510 356 210 296 651 306 686 327 216 342 447 410 901 418 758 519 681 523 756 476 808 450 682 460 046 458 460 405 019 422 670 412 946 380 575 307 502 345 027 352 936 321 316 352 824 394 860 415 076 417 012 479 302 528 029 591 809 406 452 423 597Rebadges EditUnder 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 which has been rebadged under the VW brand as the VW Polo Playa the SEAT Cordoba 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 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 Tuning companies EditSeveral tuning companies have produced modified or high performance versions of various SEAT models some significant examples among those being Abt Sportsline Je Design MTM Abarth Emelba Podadera Design etc Company profile EditLogo history Edit Logos From To Logo1953 1968 1968 1970 1970 1982 1982 1990 1990 1999 1998 2012 2012 2017 2017 present 2018 present 2020 present Leadership Edit Today as a Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT s leading people are appointed after approval from the group s supervisory board Leaders From To Person s 1950 May 1967 Jose Ortiz Echague PuertasMay 1967 February 1977 Juan Sanchez CortesFebruary 1977 December 1983 Juan Miguel Antonanzas Perez EgeaJanuary 1984 September 1993 Juan Antonio Diaz AlvarezOctober 1993 October 1993 Peter WalzerNovember 1993 December 1996 Juan Llorens CarrioJanuary 1997 June 1999 Pierre Alain de SmedtJune 18 1999 June 30 2000 Bruno AdeltJuly 1 2000 March 6 2002 Bernd PischetsriederMarch 7 2002 September 30 2006 Andreas SchleefOctober 1 2006 August 31 2009 Erich SchmittSeptember 1 2009 April 30 2013 James MuirMay 1 2013 September 30 2015 Juergen StackmannNovember 1 2015 January 6 2020 Luca de MeoJanuary 7 2020 September 30 2020 Carsten IsenseeOctober 1 2020 present Wayne Griffiths 164 Economic figures Edit Volkswagen group s distribution centre in Germany Financial results 126 Year After tax result in millions of euros 1996 32 0881997 66 4181998 147 0201999 85 4032000 87 3482001 233 1212002 202 9652003 134 4942004 144 9572005 62 5132006 49 0882007 165 169 7032008 166 44 4002009 167 186 5002010 168 103 9002011 169 61 5002012 170 29 6002013 171 148 7002014 172 65 7002015 173 6 0002016 174 903 2002017 175 281 2002018 176 294 2002019 177 345 6002020 194 200Slogans Edit SEAT currently does not use a slogan Here are most of the slogans used by SEAT before SEAT Grupo Volkswagen 19 not quite a slogan but rather signifying Volkswagen Group ownership SEAT auto emocion 2000 2011 SEAT Enjoyneering 2011 2014 SEAT Technology to Enjoy 2014 2017 Environmental policy Edit 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 Leon Mk2 Twin drive 2009 the SEAT IBE concept 2010 and the SEAT IBX concept SUV 2011 hybrid cars 178 SEAT al Sol projectThe 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 will be carried through in collaboration with GA Solar from the beginning 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 CO2 per year 179 180 Cenit verde projectThe 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 Tecnologic in Manresa 181 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 182 As part of its contribution SEAT comes in with its own Verde pre project including the technology implemented in the plug in hybrid SEAT Leon Twin drive 183 as well as in the SEAT IBE concept zero emissions electric vehicle presented in the 2010 Geneva motor show 184 SEAT Autometro project A TMD Teco Media Distancia cargo train on its way from SEAT s Martorell plant 185 The SEAT Autometro project comprises the construction and management of a rail link service between 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 186 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 euros while SEAT on its part also assumes the operational transport costs 187 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 188 Sponsorship Edit SEAT has been a sponsor in major sports music and cultural events such as FIFA World Cup 1982 SEAT Orbea cycling team 1986 1992 Summer Olympics and the 1992 Summer Paralympics 189 190 Paris Saint Germain 1994 1995 season Guapa Tour SEAT 191 from Spanish band La Oreja de Van Gogh 2006 European leg of the Oral Fixation Tour by Shakira 2007 UEFA Europa League 192 2009 2012 Copa del Rey from 2010 Rock in Rio Madrid 2010 193 Black Eyed Peas in Barcelona 2010 Red Bull Air Race World Championship 194 Valencia Open 2010 Davis Cup World Group Final 195 European leg of the Sale El Sol tour by Shakira 2010 2011 Shamrock Rovers FCB Irish football club 2012 196 Sponsoring of the following football teams 2012 present Sevilla FC Real Betis Athletic Club Valencia CF Real Zaragoza Villarreal and Eintracht Braunschweig Primavera Sound 2017 197 Lolapalooza Paris amp Berlin 2018 198 IV International Compliance Congress 2019 199 Sonar 2019 200 SM Copa de la Reina Football Cup 2019 Sponsor and official car of the Women s Spanish Football Team Official Sponsor of the 23rd edition of the International fashion platform 080 Barcelona 2019 The company was one of the prime sponsors of Tunisia s national basketball team at the 2015 FIBA Africa Championship where the company s logo was regularly displayed e g on the team s shorts 201 Further SEAT is a strong supporter of artists like Shakira 202 Armin van Buuren 203 David Guetta 204 205 and fictional characters such as Lara Croft Awards EditOver 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 86 206 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 29 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 207 208 AvD Innovationspreis 2006 award for technological innovations developed at the SEAT Technical Centre in Martorell from the German automobile club Automobilclub von Deutschland AvD 209 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 210 211 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 212 Best logistics initiative 2007 award for the SEAT Autometro project by the International Logistics Salon 213 Port of Barcelona s Distinguished Loader prize in 2008 by the Port of Barcelona s Loaders Association 214 See also Edit Spain portal Companies portal Cars portalSehol Formula 1430Notes Edit Including the SEAT Panda Including the SEAT Ibiza SC and the SEAT Ibiza ST Including the SEAT Trans Including the SEAT Cordoba Vario Including the SEAT Leon SC and SEAT Leon ST Including the SEAT Altea XL and the SEAT Altea Freetrack Including the SEAT Exeo ST References Edit Annual Report 2019 amp Past Reports SEAT www seat com Retrieved 2020 10 08 SEAT Annual Report 2020 Legal Note Archived 6 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine SEAT Retrieved on 20 November 2012 Autovia A 2 Km 585 08760 Martorell En 1985 hemos vendido mas de 100 000 automoviles en el mercado exterior We sold over 100 000 cars in export markets in 1985 ABC in Spanish Madrid 1986 07 14 p 47 Retrieved 2022 09 22 via Archivo ABC Annual Report 2020 amp Past Reports SEAT www seat com Retrieved 2021 06 21 Martorell plant 15 years of activity celebrations Media seat com 2008 02 22 Archived from the original on 2013 08 15 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Viaintermedia PV solar your source for renewable energy news solar wind biomass biofuel hydro CO2 solar thermal hydro power climate change carbon trading Renewable Energy Magazine Retrieved 2010 03 08 permanent dead link SEAT begins rail transport between Martorell and Zona Franca Media seat com Archived from the original on 2011 09 29 Retrieved 2010 03 08 Seat A megatruckload of progress Automotive Logistics 30 March 2017 Retrieved 6 April 2017 a dedicated Autometro train service links the Martorell plant directly to the port of Barcelona last year 106 499 finished vehicles moved on the train or 23 of the plant s total production Torres Jose Manuel Gonzalez 2020 06 03 Cupra Racing de Martorell a nuestras carreteras MuyInteresante es in Spanish Retrieved 2021 01 21 SEAT Sport Media seat com 2009 03 21 Archived from the original on 2011 09 29 Retrieved 2010 03 08 Visions Innovation SEAT com Archived from the original on 2010 02 17 Retrieved 2010 03 08 SEAT Design Center Media seat com 2009 03 26 Archived from the original on 2011 09 29 Retrieved 2010 03 08 Prototypes Centre of Development Media seat com 2009 03 27 Archived from the original on 2011 09 29 Retrieved 2010 03 08 SEAT Service Media seat com 2009 03 22 Archived from the original on 2011 08 21 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Genuine Parts Centre Media seat com 2009 03 25 Archived from the original on 2011 09 29 Retrieved 2010 03 08 a b Volkswagen Group Vertragsunterzeichnung mit SEAT Volkswagenag com 1993 02 22 Archived from the original on 2013 02 05 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Amaya Alvaro Prieto Que coches se fabrican en Espana Estos son los modelos y datos in Spanish Retrieved 2021 01 21 Gallina July 28 Eric Read 2015 3 Min 2015 07 28 SEAT Technical Center Celebrates 40th Anniversary Form Trends Retrieved 2021 01 21 SEAT Design Center www seat mediacenter com Archived from the original on 2021 01 29 Retrieved 2021 01 21 SEAT s new automotive prototyping center puts 3D printing front and center 3D Printing Media Network The Pulse of the AM Industry 2020 08 21 Retrieved 2021 01 21 Seat resucita su fabrica de la Zona Franca Economia Digital in Spanish 2019 06 02 Retrieved 2021 01 21 Audi announces production of the Q3 looking for low CO2 help Archived November 11 2013 at the Wayback Machine Martorell Factory Media seat com 2009 03 29 Archived from the original on 2010 03 26 Retrieved 2010 03 08 http www autonews com apps pbcs dll article AID 20061205 SUB 312050002 permanent dead link The A3 five door version is design engineered at Seat Autonews com 2003 09 01 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Seat to develop Q5 and a subcompact for Audi Autonews com Retrieved 2012 02 05 El Centro de Formacion de SEAT cumple 50 anos Media seat com Archived from the original on 2011 09 29 Retrieved 2010 03 08 a b c Gearbox del Prat Media seat com 2009 03 23 Archived from the original on 2010 03 26 Retrieved 2010 03 08 Seat Historia Autopasion18 com Retrieved 2010 03 08 Seat Anno Per Anno Carulli com Retrieved 2010 03 08 SEAT paints 4 600 VW Polo in Martorell Media seat com Retrieved 2012 02 05 permanent dead link SEAT hoy Media seat com 2009 03 23 Archived from the original on 2009 07 18 Retrieved 2010 03 11 SEAT s plant in Martorell reassumes 100 of the Ibiza production Media seat com 2004 10 19 Archived from the original on 2013 08 15 Retrieved 2012 02 05 El museo secreto de Seat La Vanguardia in Spanish 2016 06 01 Retrieved 2021 01 21 SEAT IT Services Seat it services de Archived from the original on 2018 08 08 Retrieved 2010 03 16 Start www autostadt de Retrieved 2012 02 05 SEAT Pavilion at the Autostadt Seat com Archived from the original on 2017 07 23 Retrieved 2012 02 05 CASA SEAT opens its doors to the world SEAT www seat com Retrieved 2021 01 21 Events UKi Media amp 2019 08 01 Seat recruits at new software development center in Barcelona Automotive Testing Technology International Retrieved 2021 01 21 Williams2020 09 02T16 12 00 01 00 Marcus Setting the scope for recovery and resilience at Seat Automotive Logistics Retrieved 2021 01 21 SEAT Componentes www seat mediacenter es Archived from the original on 2020 09 22 Retrieved 2021 01 21 a b c Seidler Edouard 1983 12 24 J M Antonanzas Seat Spanje exporteert meer auto s dan Engeland Spain exports more cars than England Autovisie in Dutch Hilversum Netherlands Folio Groep B V 28 26 32 33 Seidler p 35 SEAT de Mexico Seat mx Retrieved 2013 11 11 Seat desembarcara en China en 2012 Europapress es 2011 03 10 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Seat prepara su entrada en China Empresa Motor elmundo es Retrieved 2012 02 05 http www autonews com apps pbcs dll article AID 20050509 SUB 505090793 permanent dead link SEAT South Africa Home Seatsa co za Retrieved 2009 04 27 VW shock SEAT to quit SA Wheels News Industry News Wheels24 co za Archived from the original on 2008 12 18 Retrieved 2010 03 08 webdesign co nz Site designed and developed by webdesign ltd New Zealand SEAT completes VW s NZ brand set Retrieved 2018 09 04 Volkswagen Group s Cupra sports brand to enter the Australian market Formentor and Ateca go fast SUVs likely starters to line up against Hyundai Kona N CarsGuide Retrieved 2021 03 24 Cupra coming to Australia in early 2022 CarAdvice CarAdvice com Retrieved 2021 03 24 World motor vehicle production by country and type PDF Retrieved 2012 02 05 World s 20 largest producers of cars India 6th Rediff com Business Rediff com Retrieved 2012 02 05 S Estape Triay State and industry in the 40s The Spanish automobile industry Department of Economics and Business Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona 1999 p 8 11 S Estape Triay State and industry in the 40s The Spanish automobile industry Department of Economics and Business Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona 1999 p 23 Seat kilometros mas cortos Autobild es Retrieved 2012 02 05 History Of SEAT 1950 1979 Archived May 12 2015 at the Wayback Machine Muerte de Jose Ortiz Echague pionero de la fotografia artistica en Espana El Pais archivo 12 SEP 1980 El Pais 11 September 1980 Retrieved 13 December 2012 Muez Mikel 22 November 1990 El legado fotografico de Ortiz Echague donado a la Universidad de Navarra El Pais archivo 23 NOV 1990 El Pais Retrieved 13 December 2012 Para cuando un museo en la antigua Hispano El Heraldo del Henares Archived from the original on 2 April 2015 Retrieved 13 December 2012 The world was a mess but we had the Biscuter Thinkmilkandhoney net Archived from the original on 2016 03 04 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Fernando Fernandez 2008 11 14 El coche como simbolo del declive Abc es Retrieved 2012 02 05 Simister John 2007 12 11 Seat 600 Features Motoring The Independent Archived from the original on November 11 2012 Retrieved 2012 02 05 El Centro de Formacion de SEAT cumple 50 anos Media seat com Archived from the original on 2013 08 15 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Unsigned 26 January 1967 News and Views Fiat control Seat Autocar 126 nbr 3702 46 La obra del arquitecto Coderch expuesta en Madrid El Pais Elpais com 1989 02 18 Retrieved 2012 02 05 a b Bulmer Charles ed 22 April 1972 Motorweek Car losses hit SEAT Motor nbr 3640 56 Martin Gerardo Gonzalez 1978 06 23 Indugasa invierte 780 millones en Galicia El Pais Elpais com Retrieved 2012 02 05 Authi history Aronline co uk Archived from the original on 2011 10 03 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Investigaciones de Historia Economica IHE Journal of the Spanish Economic History Association 2007 vol 9 pages 141 172 Hutton Ray ed 14 August 1976 News SEAT to build Lancias Autocar 24 Seat y Toyota pueden haber llegado ya a un acuerdo de principio ELPAIS com El Pais Elpais com 31 August 1981 Retrieved 2012 02 05 SEAT 1950 Autopasion18 com Retrieved 2012 02 05 SEAT 1980 1990 Seat com Archived from the original on 2010 12 06 Retrieved 2012 02 05 SEAT amp VW group partnership agreement Media seat com Archived from the original on 2013 08 15 Retrieved 2012 02 05 SEAT Hoy Seat vende al ayuntamiento de Sitges su centro de diseno en esta localidad Libertad Digital 2006 02 23 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Interesante 60 anos de Seat Motor16 com Archived from the original on 2012 03 15 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Recorrido por la NAVE A122 Parte I SEATFANSCLUB Seatfansclub com 2011 12 30 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Weernink Wim Oude December 3 2001 Volkswagen s branding plan takes shape europe autonews com Archived from the original on March 20 2014 Retrieved March 19 2014 Volkswagen Group Business Lines and Markets Volkswagenag com Archived from the original on 2012 05 26 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2011 01 12 Retrieved 2010 10 25 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2012 03 14 Retrieved 2010 10 25 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Volkswagen Group Mit Gaudis Erben in der Ideenfabrik Volkswagenag com Archived from the original on 2013 02 08 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Cupra at one glance SEAT S A Retrieved 2021 09 26 a b SEAT s racing history 1970 1985 seat sport com March 19 2014 Archived from the original on March 20 2014 Retrieved March 19 2014 a b SEAT s racing history 1987 2001 seat sport com March 19 2014 Archived from the original on March 20 2014 Retrieved March 19 2014 Spectacular double 1 2 3 4 for SEAT in Brazil Media seat com Archived from the original on 2009 03 15 Retrieved 2009 04 27 SEAT continues on winning streak in Mexico with Muller and Rydell Media seat com Archived from the original on 2009 04 16 Retrieved 2009 04 27 In 2004 the SEAT Cupra GT made its debut at the Spanish GT Championship Seat sport com Archived from the original on 2012 03 13 Retrieved 2012 02 06 Complete Archive of Seat Cupra GT Racingsportscars com 2001 07 01 Archived from the original on 2011 07 15 Retrieved 2012 02 06 SEAT Racing History 1970 9185 Archived March 20 2014 at the Wayback Machine MARCA Noticias Archivo marca com Retrieved 2012 02 05 a b The new Alhambra highly functional and efficient perfect for the active family Media seat com 2010 04 19 Archived from the original on 2012 02 23 Retrieved 2012 02 05 In 1970 the beginning of the so called Formula Nacional was announced Seat sport com Archived from the original on 2012 03 13 Retrieved 2012 02 06 Seat names big saloon Exeo Autocar co uk 2008 06 20 Retrieved 2012 02 05 SEAT s new saloon will be called EXEO Media seat com 2008 06 20 Archived from the original on 2013 08 15 Retrieved 2012 02 05 por Guillermo Alfonsin de 08 de Mar del 2010 2010 08 03 El SEAT IBE camino de la produccion Es autoblog com Archived from the original on 2012 02 27 Retrieved 2012 02 06 SEAT Ibiza SC Archived July 30 2015 at the Wayback Machine SEAT Leon ST Archived August 1 2015 at the Wayback Machine SEAT Ibiza SC CUPRA Archived March 7 2015 at the Wayback Machine Car reviews SEAT Ibiza SEAT launches Formula Racing brand by Car Enthusiast Carenthusiast com 2003 12 04 Retrieved 2012 02 05 A true collector s edition Media seat com Archived from the original on 2011 04 02 Retrieved 2012 02 05 gt SEAT Ecomotive Range SEAT co uk Archived from the original on 2015 07 08 Retrieved 2013 11 11 SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive Car Group Tests Car Reviews Auto Express 2009 11 20 Retrieved 2012 02 06 Xavier Navarro SEAT announces green Ibiza Ecomotive Green autoblog com Retrieved 2012 02 05 SEAT Ecomotive Range Archived July 8 2015 at the Wayback Machine SEAT receives the Ecobest 2008 award seat mediacenter com Archived from the original on 2013 11 11 Retrieved 2013 11 11 SEAT receives the Ecobest 2008 award seat mediacenter com Archived from the original on 2013 11 11 Retrieved 2013 11 11 SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive SEAT Ibiza innovative car technology and design SEAT UK Archived from the original on 2013 11 11 Retrieved 2013 11 11 SEAT delivers 500 Leons Ecomotive to British Gas Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2013 11 11 Retrieved 2013 11 11 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Manufacturing cars since 1950 SEAT History Archived from the original on 2013 11 11 Retrieved 2013 11 11 History of SEAT 2005 2010 The Seat Ibiza Ecomotive wins the Eco Tour 2008 green autoblog com 2008 09 26 Retrieved 2013 11 11 Autoblog Sitemap Archived from the original on 2013 11 11 Retrieved 2013 11 11 The SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive gets Ecobest 2008 award The Bild newspaper names the Ibiza the most economic car of its class in the world in German Bild de 2008 11 30 Retrieved 2012 02 06 SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive nominated for the Green Steering wheel award Media seat com Retrieved 2012 02 06 2 9 L 100 km world record for the Ibiza Media seat com Retrieved 2012 02 06 Xavier Navarro 2009 09 30 Austrian hyper miler beats his own record when driving a Seat Ibiza Ecomotive to 100 mpg Green autoblog com Retrieved 2012 02 06 Second world fuel saving record of 2 34 L 100 km for the Ibiza Media seat com Archived from the original on 2013 08 15 Retrieved 2012 02 06 1 Archived November 25 2011 at the Wayback Machine 2 Archived August 19 2010 at the Wayback Machine 3 Archived November 25 2011 at the Wayback Machine SEAT IBIZA A success story spanning 25 years A success story spanning 25 years Archived from the original on 2011 07 19 Retrieved 2011 07 19 a b SEAT S A Key Figures 2005 2009 SEAT S A Key Figures 2005 2010 Archived from the original on 2012 01 07 Retrieved 2010 11 20 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 1986 PDF Retrieved 6 July 2019 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 1987 PDF Retrieved 6 July 2019 a b Volkswagen AG Annual Report 1989 PDF Retrieved 6 July 2019 Volkswagan AG Annual Report 1990 PDF Retrieved 6 July 2019 Volkswagan AG Annual Report 1991 PDF Retrieved 6 July 2019 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 1992 PDF Retrieved 6 July 2019 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 1993 PDF Retrieved 6 July 2019 Volkswahen AG Annual Report 1994 PDF Retrieved 6 July 2019 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 1995 PDF Retrieved 6 July 2019 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 1996 PDF Retrieved 6 July 2019 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 1997 PDF Retrieved 6 July 2019 a b c Volkswagen AG Annual Report 1999 PDF Volkswagen AG 2010 09 13 Archived from the original PDF on 2011 07 17 Retrieved 2010 09 13 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2000 PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2011 01 11 Retrieved 2012 02 06 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2001 PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2011 07 17 Retrieved 2012 02 06 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2002 PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2011 07 17 Retrieved 2012 02 06 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2003 PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2011 07 17 Retrieved 2012 02 06 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2004 PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2011 01 12 Retrieved 2012 02 06 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2005 PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2011 07 17 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2006 PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2011 07 17 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2007 PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2011 10 01 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2008 PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2011 10 01 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2010 PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2011 07 17 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Seat mejora sus ventas mundiales un 3 1 en 2011 Elpais com Retrieved 2012 02 05 Skoda Annual Report 2012 PDF Retrieved 2019 06 29 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2012 PDF Retrieved 2019 06 28 Skoda Annual Report 2013 PDF Retrieved 2019 06 29 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2013 PDF Retrieved 2019 06 28 Skoda Annual Report 2015 PDF Retrieved 2019 06 29 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2014 PDF Retrieved 2019 06 28 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2015 PDF Retrieved 2019 06 28 Skoda Annual Report 2015 PDF Retrieved 2019 06 29 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2016 PDF Retrieved 2019 06 28 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2017 PDF Retrieved 2019 06 28 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2018 PDF Retrieved 2019 06 28 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2019 PDF Retrieved 2020 03 17 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2020 PDF Retrieved 2021 03 24 Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2021 PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2022 03 15 Retrieved 2022 03 28 Cupra boss Wayne Griffiths named as new Seat president Autocar Retrieved 2021 01 22 SEAT Informe Annual 2007 Media seat com Retrieved 2012 02 05 Informe Annual 2008 Media seat com Retrieved 2012 02 05 Seat Media seat com Retrieved 2012 02 05 Seat Annual Report 2010 Media seat com Retrieved 2012 02 05 Seat Annual Report 2011 seat com Archived from the original on 2012 07 22 Retrieved 2012 02 05 SEAT Annual Report 2012 PDF Retrieved 11 July 2019 SEAT Annual Report 2013 PDF Retrieved 11 July 2019 SEAT Annual Report 2014 PDF Retrieved 11 July 2019 SEAT Annual Report 2015 PDF Retrieved 11 July 2019 SEAT Annual Report 2016 PDF Retrieved 11 July 2019 SEAT Annual Report 2017 PDF Retrieved 11 July 2019 SEAT Annual Report 2018 PDF Retrieved 11 July 2019 SEAT Annual Report 2019 PDF Retrieved 25 March 2020 El Seat IBx y sus hermanos electricos Autobild es Retrieved 2012 02 06 SEAT s Martorell factory becomes a benchmark for renewable energy production media seat com en Archived from the original on 2013 08 15 Retrieved 2010 09 25 SEAT To Build 10 MW Solar PV System Renewable Energy News Article Renewableenergyworld com 2009 11 17 Retrieved 2012 02 06 Endesa On Line Hogares Endesa es 2010 08 13 Archived from the original on 2012 08 02 Retrieved 2012 02 05 The electric car in Spain gets green light Media seat com 2010 01 14 Archived from the original on 2010 03 28 Retrieved 2012 02 05 SEAT a major presence at meeting of Europe s Industry Ministers Media seat com Archived from the original on 2010 06 21 Retrieved 2012 02 05 4 Archived September 23 2010 at the Wayback Machine Cargometro nuevo servicio de mercancias para Seat entre Barcelona y Martorell Revista VIA LIBRE Fundacion de los Ferrocarriles Espanoles Vialibre ffe com Retrieved 2012 02 05 The first FGC SEAT train reaches the Port of Barcelona Media seat com 2008 01 18 Retrieved 2012 02 05 More than 63 300 vehicles transported between SEAT and Port of Barcelona Media seat com 2009 01 16 Retrieved 2012 02 05 SEAT awarded Port of Barcelona s Distinguished Loader 2008 prize Media seat com Archived from the original on 2009 08 30 Retrieved 2012 02 05 SEAT Ibiza is the official car of the Olympic games Media seat com Archived from the original on 2011 07 19 Retrieved 2012 02 05 SEAT S A Key Figures 2005 2010 Media seat com 2010 03 23 Archived from the original on 2009 07 18 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Seat Ibiza Guapa article in Spanish Retrieved 2021 01 22 SEAT sponsors the UEFA Europa League Media seat com Archived from the original on 2013 08 15 Retrieved 2012 02 06 Press Europa 2010 04 27 Seat te lleva a Rock in Rio Madrid 2010 www europapress es Retrieved 2021 01 22 SEAT sponsors the Red Bull Air Race World Championship Media seat com Retrieved 2012 02 06 permanent dead link SEAT sponsors the Davis Cup World Group Final Media seat com Archived from the original on 2013 08 15 Retrieved 2012 02 05 SEAT Announces Title Sponsorship of League Champions Shamrock Rovers FC Elevate PR 2011 12 08 Retrieved 2021 01 22 Noticias Apmc in SEAT al ritmo de la musica con Primavera Sound in European Spanish Retrieved 2021 01 22 SEAT commits to music with Lollapalooza Paris and Berlin The NewsMarket Retrieved 2021 01 22 IV International Compliance Congress May 27 28 2019 Madrid Center for Business Ethics amp Compliance cenbecom org Retrieved 2021 01 22 Sonar D MasterClasses by SEAT Sonar D Barcelona 2019 Sonar D in Spanish Retrieved 2021 01 22 2015 FIBA Africa Championship Tunisia FIBA com Retrieved 27 January 2016 SEAT and Shakira start their collaboration with a digital animated TV spot Media seat com Archived from the original on 2010 03 26 Retrieved 2012 02 05 SEAT amp Armin van Buuren successful with marathon radio show Media seat com 2009 04 30 Archived from the original on 2010 08 17 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Anonymous said November 28 2008 2008 10 01 Matte Black Seat Ibiza SportCoupe by David Guetta Carscoop Carscoop blogspot com Archived from the original on 2012 03 04 Retrieved 2012 02 05 LIFE LIFE Archived from the original on June 10 2011 Retrieved 2012 02 05 VOLKSWAGEN Navarra Vw navarra es Archived from the original on 2012 06 29 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Seat Named Most Improved Used Car Brand Of The Decade European Motor News 2009 12 16 Archived from the original on 2012 11 20 Retrieved 2010 03 08 SEAT VAG Division Archived from the original on 2015 04 02 Retrieved 2010 03 08 Premio a las innovaciones tecnologicas de SEAT Media seat com Retrieved 2012 02 05 permanent dead link SEAT recibe dos premios a las mejores innovaciones tecnologicas del sector Media seat com Archived from the original on 2013 08 15 Retrieved 2012 02 05 Seat record di brevetti per la Casa spagnola News Automoto it Archived from the original on 2011 07 22 Retrieved 2019 01 10 SEAT is awarded for its electronic invoicing system Media seat com 2008 11 26 Archived from the original on 2010 05 29 Retrieved 2012 02 06 SEAT receives the best logistics initiative 2007 award Media seat com Archived from the original on 2013 08 15 Retrieved 2012 02 06 SEAT awarded Port of Barcelona s Distinguished Loader 2008 prize Media seat com Archived from the original on 2009 08 30 Retrieved 2010 03 08 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to SEAT automobile SEAT com Corporate website SEAT UK SEAT UK website SEAT Ireland SEAT Ireland website SEAT s channel on YouTube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title SEAT amp oldid 1142455946, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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