Seat feels like the neglected child of VW Group at the moment, but the Spanish brand is safe at least until 2028 or 2029, as confirmed by VW’s CEO and Chairman of Seat’s board of directors, Thomas Schäfer.
More specifically, following recent rumors about the uncertain future of Seat, Schäfer told Autocar: “We are not killing Seat. We just need to decide on its future. We are still working on a plan for Seat, It is fine until 2028 or 2029. It’s an entry-level brand for young customers. It really plays to Europe, particularly Spain, UK, and Austria”
Read: You Can Now Buy The Cupra And The Seat Leon With The Same 1.5L Or 2.0L Engines
Despite the remarks, the high-ranked official also said: “Cupra is the future of Seat. Cupra is the reinvention of Seat going forward. Cupra will move much faster into electrification”. Indeed, Cupra has pledged to offer a number of EVs in the next few years, while Seat needs to wait for the cost of batteries to go down in order to start electrifying its more affordably-priced range. In fact, Seat is limited to a trio of PHEVs – the eHybrid variants of the Leon, the Leon Sporstourer, and the Tarraco – following the demise of the Mii Electric.
Cupra has been a success in terms of sales and profitability, unlike the currently unprofitable Seat which saw a significant drop in year-to-year sales over the past few months partly due to the semiconductor shortage. Still, Schäfer made it clear that the Cupra “is not a volume player”, offering higher-margin products than the mainstream Seat and targeting a different “rebellious, young audience”.
The problem with Seat is that the VW Group already has a well-established and hugely successful volume brand in the face of Skoda, while the sportier edge that used to distinguish the Spanish automaker’s models is now satisfied by the performance-focused Cupra.
According to Schäfer, a possible idea for the future is to transform Seat into a mobility brand, something that has already been hinted at by the Minimo heavy quadricycle concept and the Mo 125 electric scooter. Such a move would make Seat the VW Group’s equivalent of the Renault Group’s Mobilize, and allow it some breathing space. Still, until Europe bans ICE-powered vehicles, Seat will keep offering its wide lineup including the Ibiza / Arona siblings in the B-Segment, the Leon / Ateca duo in the C-Segment, and the Tarraco D-SUV flagship.
