33 Facts About SEAT

Factories of the Volkswagen Group currently producing SEAT models include the Bratislava site in Slovakia, the Palmela's AutoEuropa factory in Portugal, and Wolfsburg in Germany.

From 2016, SEAT 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.

SEAT today 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.

SEAT was considering a possible launch in the United States in the past, although this move has never been carried out.

Rumours 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.

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SEAT has been present in the Russian Federation since 2007.

SEAT was reintroduced to the New Zealand market in 2017.

SEAT will re-enter the Australian market in 2022, selling vehicles under their performance marque Cupra.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

SEAT began expanding into markets beyond Spain's borders, including the United Kingdom, where it began selling cars in the autumn of 1985.

The new Ibiza was a huge success for SEAT, greatly expanding its market share, particularly in export markets.

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.

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.

Since 2005, SEAT has 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.

In September 2008, SEAT UK announced that it would withdraw from all motor sport activity in the UK at the end of the season.

At the opening of the 2009 WTCC, SEAT placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in both races in Brazil.

At the second meeting of the WTCC, the SEAT team placed 1st, 4th, 6th, 7th and 11th in the first race.

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In 1970 SEAT set up the 'Formula Nacional' series in Spain, a year later to be known as Formula 1430.

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.

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.

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.

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

SEAT was founded in November 2005, almost five months after an initial agreement was signed between the Catalan government, the Barcelona Port Authority and SEAT.

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

Further, SEAT is a strong supporter of artists, like Shakira, Armin van Buuren, David Guetta and fictional characters as Lara Croft.