VW Decides, Once Again, That Seat Should Rival Alfa Romeo

One look at the current lineups of Skoda and Seat is enough to realize that there’s a lot of overlapping between the two brands. The VW Group, to which both belong, has been trying for quite a while now to come up with a strategy that helps to better differentiate between them.

The most logical move is to establish Seat as a sportier alternative to the value-driven Skoda, something current CEO and former Alfa Romeo CEO Luca de Meo already started doing by launching the Cupra standalone performance brand. But that’s not all.

You might remember that VW Group’s former chairman Ferdinand Piech wanted to make Seat a rival to Alfa Romeo after his repeated bids to buy the Italian brand were rejected by Fiat Chrysler’s former boss, the late Sergio Marchionne.

As it turns out, Piech’s plan is back to the drawing board. The German group believes that its revitalized Spanish brand is now able to compete against Alfa Romeo in Europe.

VW Group’s new CEO, Herbert Diess (pictured), thinks Seat can win over younger people who don’t remember the glory days of Alfa Romeo. “For people our age it is a fantastic brand, but ever since I can remember Alfa has been on the decline,” Diess was quoted as saying by Automotive News Europe. “Ask a 25-35 year old about Alfa, they are at a loss, they have no idea what Alfa is,” he added.

Could that be enough for Seat to successfully rival the Milanese brand which is currently undergoing a revival of its own spearheaded by the Giulia and Stelvio? Some might say no, given that Seat lacks Alfa’s dedicated fan base and aspirational appeal.

However, the executive is adamant that Seat’s case is helped by having the youngest customers in the group network and the fact that it’s better known than Alfa Romeo among young people — Diess’ words, not ours.

Another thing Diess believes works in Seat’s favor is its positioning as a “young, sporty, desirable, emotional” brand.

So, after Hyundai, who has stated that its future models will be sexier than Alfa Romeos, yet another automaker has put the Italians at its sights. Nice to see that, even with a limited line up, you’re still being considered by rivals as the benchmark when it comes to customer appeal.