Why Seat Refuses To Launch An EV Before 2030 Even As Rivals Race Ahead

As most major European automakers dive head-first into the world of EVs, it seemed inevitable Seat would quickly follow suit. After all, Cupra, which was formed out of Seat, has been selling the all-electric Born for a couple of years and has recently launched the electric Tavascan SUV. However, the boss of Seat and Cupra says the former will not release an EV this decade.

According to Wayne Griffiths, “Seat at the moment is in a good place,” and the company doesn’t appear willing to potentially interrupt its momentum with a new EV. In 2024, sales increased by 7.5% to 310,000 units. Despite this, Griffiths did acknowledge that, “for Seat to have a certain future, we need to have an electric future.”

Read: 2024 Seat Leon Drops 3-Cylinder Engine, Gains Upgraded PHEV And New Screens

Had the Cupra brand not been transformed from the company’s in-house performance division into its own brand, Seat could have launched a re-badged version of the VW ID.3 for itself. Speaking with Autocar, Griffiths said Seat could “consider” a model based on the VW ID.1 as its first EV, but no final decision has been made at this stage, meaning the Spanish brand is officially not working on an EV until 2030.

Only time will tell if not launching an EV until after 2030 will hurt Seat. Sales of EVs soared to new heights in 2024, and while there have been a few hiccups, sales will likely smash records this year, too. Fortunately, Seat isn’t solely relying on traditional ICE-powered models, and does currently sell traditional hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the Leon hatch and Leon Sportstourer. Both of these models offer over 74 miles (120 km) of all-electric driving range.

Regardless of what the brand’s first EV is, Griffiths said that it “would need to be profitable,” as for “Seat as a company, we are looking to make money now and invest.”