SEAT Future Undecided Beyond 2029, Could Be a Mobility Brand

Many people raised their eyebrows when the Volkswagen Group decided to make Cupra a standalone brand separate from SEAT in 2018. However, this newcomer is growing rapidly as sales are on the rise and should be further driven by more products being worked on. But what about the traditional Spanish brand from Martorell? Fully owned by VW since 1990, it looks like Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo faces an uncertain future.

In an interview with Autocar, SEAT chairman and Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer said “we didn’t kill SEAT. We just had to decide its future.” He went on to say the troubled automaker – which saw sales in Europe drop by 45 percent in July and 42 percent in August compared to the same month last year – “is fine until 2028 or 2029.” However, it is not clear what will happen after that.

Schäfer told British magazine that SEAT could be transformed into a mobility brand in the same vein as Renault’s newly founded Mobilize sub-brand. Going down this path will allow the VW Group to avoid the overlap between the SEAT and Skoda brands, which have been deprecated to some extent over the years.

Meanwhile, SEAT’s head honcho sees the company as “an entry-level volume brand for young customers,” which makes us think of Dacia Renault but with a more upscale feel. He determined it served the European market and remains very popular at home in Spain but also in the UK and Austria. As for Cupra, Schäfer informed Autocar it won’t chase volume and will have a “sharp position” while attracting more of a “rebellious young audience” than traditional brands.

News about SEAT is scanty and infrequent, whereas Cupra has been making headlines more often these days. It shows which of the two brands is getting more attention from its parent company.

Leave a Reply